Heart Of Darkness
by Icewyche
Summary: NEW CHAPTER! Follows "Pas De Deux". Seven years after Message, the guys are grown and living normal lives as they gather for Sage and Carey's wedding. But a new, deadly evil stalks the Ronins...and it wears a familiar face (it's not who you think).
1. Prologue: Sage's Journal

**Heart of Darkness**

By Icewyche

The standard disclaimers apply.

**Prologue**

From the journal of Sage Date:

_        Seven years._

_       It has been seven years since we wore the Ronin armors for the final time.  Seven years since Suzunagi, that poor, bitter spirit, decided to make us the targets of a vengeance stretching back before any of us were even born.  The armors originally given to us by the Ancient were gone --- destroyed forever in that apocalyptic battle with the Black Inferno Armor --- but we had worn them and in fact still retained some of their powers.  That was enough for Suzunagi.  One by one she trapped us, until only Ryo was left.  I don't know exactly what happened to make her change her mind about us; I saw the beginnings of doubt in her face before I was taken into the awful, smothering darkness of limbo, but what happened after that Ryo never told us and I never asked.  All I know is that, somehow, Suzunagi found the peace that had eluded her all those years.  But she left us a gift: five new armors, stronger than their predecessors, with none of the taint of Talpa's black evil.  Five armors forged from regret and honor and love.  These armors we could be proud to wear in battle, although fortunately we never had to.  And now it's been seven years since we removed the armors and put the kanji crystals away for what we all hoped was the last time.  Seven years today, in fact._

_       A lot has happened since then.  Ryo got his degree in Veterinary Medicine and now works at a zoo in Tokyo.  I know he misses White Blaze terribly --- the old tiger left the day after we graduated from high school --- but I think working with animals gives him solace and happiness, especially after the deaths of his beloved grandparents.  He and Mia were a couple for a long time, but for some reason they decided to put their relationship on hold for a while.  Right now Mia is in Canada as a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto, where she'll be for the next year although she assures me she'll come home long enough for my wedding --- she says she has to see it with her own eyes.  _

_      Cye and Rowen are both working on their Master's degrees --- Cye in Marine Biology and Rowen in Aerospace Engineering.  None of this is a surprise.  Cye's family still runs the pottery business in Hagi, although most of the responsibility falls with his sister and her husband now as his mother is getting kind of frail.  Cye helps out when he can, but I think they all know it's not what he really wants to do with his life and are wonderfully understanding about it --- after all, Cye's gifts simply lie elsewhere.  Rowen, meanwhile, spends most of his time either in a lab or teaching and we have to drag him out into the real world every now and then to keep him from turning into a carbon copy of his father.  He doesn't see his dad much anymore and hasn't seen his mom in years, although she does write occasionally.  He says the four of us are his family now; he was always closer to us anyway.  It's not that he doesn't love his parents, but it's kind of hard to get attached to someone who isn't there much.  His hair is still blue, incidentally.  Carey teases him about it, saying that it's going to be interesting to see what color his kids' hair turns out to be…assuming he emerges from his research long enough to find someone and get married.  We've tried to set him up with someone, but so far no luck.          _

_       Kento surprised us all by going to college and majoring in Criminal Justice.  It's not that he's not smart enough, but let's face it, school was never Kento's favorite activity.  He's talking about joining the police force, but for now he helps run the family restaurant, which has expanded into a small chain and is doing quite well.  I think he's dating, but he just laughs when we ask him about it so who knows?_

_      As for me, I graduated college with a degree in Art History and was promptly offered a position as executive assistant to Matsuka Kazuhara, the head of the art gallery where I had been working since I started college.  My grandfather made no secret of his disappointment --- he had expected me to come straight home and help run the family dojo.  But this time I stood firm; I was going to live my own life before I lived the one he wanted for me.  I loved and still love working at the gallery, and it brought me the most precious thing in my life --- my beloved ballerina, my Carey, who first taught me to dance and then taught me to love, neither of which was an easy task.  Granted, ours may not have been the smoothest courtship on record --- she almost took a job dancing in Seattle but backed out at the last minute, and Grandfather isn't too happy about my plans to marry someone who isn't Japanese --- but we're together and we're happy and we're getting married soon and that's all that really matters.  Carey doesn't know about my past as a Ronin Warrior; she thinks the guys are just my best friends from high school, and I plan to keep it that way.  After all, we haven't needed the armors in years.  The battle is over, we've survived, and we're all finally living happy, normal lives.  Why dredge up all that pain when there's no need?_

_      The armors are gone.  Let them rest.  Let us_ _rest.  _

_                                                                                                                        Sage Date_

                                                                                                                       March 21, 1998


	2. Special Delivery

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

**_The standard disclaimers apply._**

Chapter One: Special Delivery 

      The packing crate stood in the center of the table.  Sage Date eyed it curiously for a moment, then turned to his companion.  "Okay, so what exactly is it?" he asked.

      "I'm really not sure," Matsuka Kazuhara replied.  "I received a letter from an old friend of mine saying he had found something exciting at an archeological dig in Mexico and was sending it to me.  But he didn't really go into details."

      Sage arched an eyebrow.  "You just accepted this thing sight unseen?  That's got to be a first, Matsuka."

      "Well, I didn't have much of a choice.  The letter arrived yesterday and this package arrived today.  But I know the man who sent it; he's found several interesting things for the gallery over the years.  I know him well and I trust his judgment."  Matsuka gestured to one of the staff hovering nearby.  "Hiro, would you open it, please?"

      The crate, when opened, yielded up a carved mask, and Matsuka studied it with a practiced eye.  "Hmmm…not exactly pretty, is it?"  The mask was apparently the face of some sort of demon: hollow, slanted eyes, gaunt features, long, sharp teeth bared in a rictus.  Matsuka turned it over in her hands.  "I don't know…this might give our visitors nightmares."

      "Not something you'd want to meet up with on a dark night," Sage agreed.  "May I?"

      "If nothing else, we could use him to scare off potential thieves," Matsuka suggested lightly as she handed the mask to Sage.  Sage chuckled and lifted the mask to examine it --- then dropped it as if his fingers had been burned.  Matsuka caught it just in time.  "Sage, what's wrong?"

      "I…I'm not sure," Sage replied, rubbing his still tingling fingers.  Had he imagined it, or had the thing glowed for just a split second when he touched it?  He shrugged.  "Static from the carpet, I guess."

      Matsuka looked at him a little oddly.  "Sage, it's made of wood."

      "But the inlays are metal; gold if my guess is correct," Sage pointed out.  After all, he couldn't have felt what he thought he had felt…."Is there a note or anything to explain what this thing is, what it's supposed to be?"

      "No, nothing.  I'll have to get Research on it right away."  Matsuka set the mask on the table.  "Reiko, if you'd get some pictures of this, please.  We'll also have to have Appraisals look at it, see if they can hazard a guess as to just how old it is.  It _looks_ fairly ancient, but it could just be a clever artist's job," she mused.  She shot an amused glance at Sage.  "Think your fiancée might be able to tell us something about it?"

      Sage smiled wryly at her.  "Probably not --- Carey's family is Cuban, and I don't think she's ever been to Mexico in her life."

      "Have you met them yet?"

      "What, her family?  No, they won't get here until just before the wedding, but she says they're thrilled.  Her mom is driving her crazy with suggestions via e-mail."  He ran a finger lightly along the top of the mask, then immediately jerked it away again.  "Ow!  Damn!"

      "Looks like someone forgot to use fabric softener," Matsuka teased her executive assistant.  "Well, let's leave this to the others for now.  Once we know more about it, then we can decide exactly what to do with it."  She turned to leave.

      The floor started to vibrate beneath their feet, faintly at first but quickly gaining intensity.  Items on the shelves and tables began to rattle.  "It's an earthquake!  Take cover!" Sage directed the others.

      The ground bucked violently, hurling Matsuka into Sage's arms and knocking them both to the floor.  Reiko screamed as a lamp missed her by inches.  Hiro stumbled and knocked the mask off the table.  They watched in horror as it flew in an arc for a moment then hit the floor, where it broke in two.

      The lights went out, abruptly plunging the room into blackness.  Sage felt _something_ brush past him…something large and cold and malevolent, something that he hadn't felt in years.  It probed at his mind, almost as if it were _tasting_ him… Instinctively he shoved up his mental barriers, shuddering in revulsion.  His body tensed, ready for battle.  Then as suddenly as it had begun, the quake was over; the lights flickered back to life and the presence was gone.

      "Is everyone all right?" Matsuka asked shakily as Sage helped her to her feet.  At their affirmations, she said, "Then you should all go and call your families; make sure they know you're safe."  As Hiro and Reiko hastily left the room, Matsuka walked over and picked up the ruined mask.  It had split neatly down the center into two halves.  "Well, at least it's a clean break," she told Sage.  "I think it can be repaired."

      Sage grinned wryly at his boss.  "We just survived an earthquake and you're worried about repairing that thing?"

      "It's a coping mechanism.  Would you prefer I had hysterics instead?" Matsuka retorted, and Sage was forced to concede the point.  "You really should see if you can get in touch with Carey and make sure she's all right.  I don't know if she's ever been through one of these before."

      "I will.  And you should see that everyone else in the gallery is okay.  I'm sure there's also some damage that we'll have to deal with.  Come on, we've both got a lot to do."  Sage gently steered Matsuka from the room.  At the door, though, he paused and looked back at the broken mask.  It seemed to grin evilly at him.  _No_, he thought firmly.  _It's just my imagination.  That's a mask, nothing more._  _The quake just shook me up and I'm letting that run away with me._  He turned his back on the mask and left the room, turning out the light and closing the door.

      Alone in the darkened room, the cavernous eyes of the broken mask stared emptily at nothing.  A faint, sickly green glow played along the edges of the split for just a moment, then was gone.  The mask just sat there, grinning into the dark, cold and lifeless.

      Its work was done.


	3. Something In My House

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

_The standard disclaimers apply._

Chapter Two: Something In My House 

      _One of these days, I have _got _to organize this whole "getting home" thing_, Rowen Hashiba thought.  Juggling two full grocery bags while trying to find his house keys was tougher than it looked.  _Funny_, he mused wryly.  _I can take down Dynasty Warlords, I can fight the greatest evils ever unleashed on the mortal world, I can help avert an apocalypse, for crying out loud.  So why can't I find my stupid keys?_

      A lock of his bright blue hair fell into his indigo eyes and he shook it aside with an exasperated sigh, finally admitting defeat in the battle with his groceries.  He set the bags down on the porch and located his keys in the pocket of his jeans.  Unlocking the door, he picked up his bags and walked into the house.

      Rowen could not help the small thrill of pride he felt every time he entered his new home.  He knew he could have simply found an apartment in town, one that would have been closer to the university, but he wanted something a bit more…_homelike_.  When he had found the old townhouse in this quiet suburb, he had known at once that it was his dream home.  It wasn't tremendously big, and it certainly wasn't Japanese, but it was just what he wanted.  The day he had signed the final papers and received the house keys had been one of the happiest days of his life.

      Humming softly to himself, Rowen set the groceries on the kitchen counter and began to sort through the contents.  _Let's see, the salad mix should go in the fridge, and I need to start on the lasagna.  Where did I put the dressing?_  He bustled about the kitchen, setting out what he needed as neatly as if he were performing surgery.  Silently he thanked whatever higher power there was for the fact that he had taken Cye up on those cooking lessons all those years ago.  Tonight he was fixing a very special meal --- his first dinner party in the new house. 

      As he slid the lasagna into the oven, Rowen's eye fell on a cream-and-gold card tacked to his refrigerator.  His smile widened as he read:

                                               _Ms. Carey Rosa Navarro_

_                                                               and_

_                                                 Mr. Sage Philip Date_

_                                      request the honor of your presence_

_                                        as they exchange marriage vows_

_                                               Saturday, May 23, 1998_

_                                          at five o'clock in the evening_

_                                           Church of the Sacred Heart_

      _So much has changed_, Rowen mused.  He remembered when they had first become the Ronin Warriors --- five very different teenage boys, faced with a destiny they didn't really understand and were not entirely sure they wanted.  He remembered the battles, the horrors, the dark days when he had wondered if they would ever have the chance to be like everyone else, if they would even survive to see another day.  _It was hard and it was brutal and there were times when we all just wanted to give up…but survive we did, and look at us now.  Sage is getting married, I'm a homeowner, Cye is becoming one of the top experts in the field of Marine Biology, Kento is making noises about becoming a police officer, and Ryo is working with the animals he's always loved.  We finally have the normal lives we always wanted, and, yeah…it was all worth it._   

      Suddenly the lights went out, plunging the kitchen into darkness.  Startled, Rowen felt his hand brush the edge of a hot saucepan, and he jerked it back with a muffled curse.  "Oh, great," he muttered, groping along the edge of the counter.  Fumbling through a drawer, he pulled out a flashlight and shined it around the dim kitchen.  "Must have blown a fuse.  Why does stuff like this always happen at the worst possible time?"  Grumbling, Rowen headed for the basement, noting in irritation that the rest of the house was dark as well.  _Note to self_, he thought, _put extra fuses on next shopping list._

      At the top of the basement stairs, Rowen reached for the light switch and flicked it upward, expecting light to fill the pitch-dark room.  Nothing happened.  Now severely annoyed, Rowen moved the switch up and down several times, but the basement stayed dark.  _This doesn't make sense.  I can't have blown all the fuses at the same time._  He knew the house needed a little work, but not _that_ much.  Muttering curses beneath his breath, he stomped down the stairs and into the basement.   

      A sudden noise stopped him in his tracks.  Rowen froze.  "Who's there?" he called out.  His old Ronin Warrior instincts were on full alert, making him very aware that he was in an extremely dark, windowless basement with no weapon but a plastic flashlight.  "Show yourself!"

      A movement in one corner caught his eye.  Rowen whirled, shining the flashlight beam in that direction.  The beam illuminated the washer and the fuse box, but there was no sign of anything unusual.  "Must have been a mouse," he murmured, more to reassure himself than anything else.  "Guess I need to call the exterminator tomorrow."

      "Rowen."

      The sound of his name made Rowen jump about a foot.  He whirled sharply, ready to bash the intruder with his flashlight if he had to.  Then he saw who had spoken, and he sagged with relief.  "Ryo?"

      Ryo Sanada stepped into the circle of weak light.  "Oh, man, you scared the hell out of me," Rowen breathed.  "What are you doing down here?"

      "You thought it was over, didn't you?" Ryo said tonelessly.  "It's not over yet."

      "What are you talking about?" Rowen asked, puzzled.  Then his face lightened.  "Oh, I get it.  This is some sort of weird housewarming prank.  Okay, you got me.  So where are the others?"

      "It can never be over because of what you are," Ryo said, as if he were explaining something to a rather slow-witted child.  "I've been looking for you…for all of you…for a very long time."

      Rowen had no idea what Ryo was talking about.  "Ryo, you're not making sense.  Come on, buddy, tell me what you did to the fuse box, or was it the circuit breaker?  I promise I won't get mad.  Just let me turn the lights on, and --- " 

      The heavy wrench came out of nowhere, smashing into Rowen's hand and sending his flashlight flying.  Rowen cried out in pain, clutching his injured hand.  The flashlight rolled away, leaving only the dimmest of illumination.  "Ryo, what the hell is _wrong_ with you?" Rowen demanded.  "What are you doing?"

      The wrench swung again, and Rowen just barely managed to get out of the way.  "The armors made you what you are," Ryo murmured, his face expressionless.  "But they can't protect you anymore…not from me."  He swung the wrench in a lethal arc at Rowen's head.

      Rowen ducked and began to stumble backwards, cradling his bruised hand to his chest.  "Okay, this isn't funny anymore," he stammered, his mind racing.  _I'm trapped in a very dark basement, unarmed and hurt, and my friend has gone psychotic on me.  I have two choices: I can stay and try to fight him off with the hand he _didn't_ break, or I can run like hell and hope I can reach the stairs before _he_ reaches _me.  The wrench missed him by a fraction.  _Yeah, option two looks pretty good right about now._

      Rowen turned and ran for the stairs, desperately hoping he was headed the right way.  He tripped over the first step and nearly fell, but quickly righted himself and scrambled frantically up the steps.  Behind him he head the soft, deadly _swish_ as Ryo swung the wrench in ever-widening arcs; ahead of him he saw the faintly lighter opening that led to the first floor of the house.  _Almost there,_ he thought wildly,_ just a few more steps ---_

      He heard himself scream as the cold hand latched onto his ankle with a merciless grip.  He felt his feet go out from under him, and he felt an instant of blinding pain as his head hit the stair tread.

      Then he didn't feel anything at all.****


	4. Dazed And Confused

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche Chapter Three: Dazed And Confused 

      "The bridal shop called today," Carey Navarro said.  "You still need to go in and have your tux fitted.  Oh, and the caterers want to know if we've made a final decision on the menu for the reception yet."

      Sage Date shot an amused glance at his fiancée.  "Tell them that as long as nobody gets food poisoning they can serve meatloaf and french fries for all I care."

      Carey rolled her golden eyes at him.  "Sage, come on.  We've confused them enough by trying to combine Japanese and Cuban cuisines.  The least we could do is set some parameters here."

      "I'm sorry, honey, but I just can't see what all the fuss is about.  Personally, I think there's an easier way to do this: we just call up a few friends and say, hey, we're getting married and we'd like you to show up.  Then we go to a justice of the peace or one of those wedding chapels, tie the knot in five minutes, and then take everybody out for pizza."

      "Oh, _that's _classy.  I kind of think Miss Manners would have something to say about that."

      "Who says we'd invite her?"

      "You're not helping."

      Sage sighed, briefly lifting his violet eyes to the heavens.  "Carey, sweetheart, darling, I'm a guy.  Granted, I'm a sensitive, caring, and well-bred guy --- and don't give me that look --- but I'm a guy nonetheless.  Weddings are a chick thing.  I love you dearly and I can't wait until we're legally wed but I just think there are more important things to worry about than what we serve at our wedding reception."

      "Such as whether or not we can make it to Rowen's house before we run out of gas?" Carey replied dryly.  "You're driving on fumes there, lover."

      Sage glanced at the car's gas gauge and swore softly.  "Oh, damn.  Well, there's a gas station about a block away.  It shouldn't take too long to fill up and get moving again.  Rowen'll kill us if we're late."

      Carey chuckled.  "You'd think he was showing off a new baby or something, as proud as he is about this new house."

      "The house _is_ his baby," Sage explained.  "He's always wanted something like this, something he can really call his own."

      "That's a lot of house for just one guy, though, isn't it?"

      Sage shrugged.  "Rowen doesn't really like apartments --- he says they're too impermanent.  He lived in an apartment with his dad for years after his parents split up, and I guess they remind him of the divorce.  You can't really blame him, though.  Rowen just wants what anyone else would --- something that's his, something that makes him feel like he belongs somewhere, like he has roots."

      Carey smiled warmly at her golden-haired, lavender-eyed lover.  "Have I ever told you I love it when you get all sensitive and insightful like that?"

      Without taking his gaze from the road, Sage found Carey's hand and brought it to his lips.  "Why do you think I do it?" he smiled. 

      They arrived at Rowen's home a short time later, just as the sun was setting.  Sage looked around as he unfastened his seat belt.  "None of the guys are here yet," he observed.

      "Good --- someone else can be the target of Rowen's wrath.  Maybe it'll be Kento," Carey suggested, just a bit too hopefully.

      Sage rolled his eyes.  "You two just can't get along, can you?"

      "Sage, I know he's basically a good guy --- you wouldn't be such good friends if he wasn't --- but Kento and I have just never hit it off.  He's just too…_brash_ for my tastes.  Why can't he be more like Rowen or Cye?  Now those two are absolute dolls."

      "I'll tell them you said that," Sage teased.

      "Don't you dare.  That's all I need --- to start off our marriage with _all_ of your friends mad at me."

      "What about Ryo?  You haven't gotten to him yet."

      "Ryo is a nice guy and I do like him," Carey said.  "But if you ask me, _querido_, he really needs to get over himself.  Not every awful thing that happens in the universe is his fault.  Are you sure he wasn't a Jewish mother in a past life?  The guy has a world-class martyr complex --- Angst Central."

      "Well, he's had it rough," Sage admitted.  "His mom died when he was a baby, his dad when he was six, and he had a lot of responsibilities when he was growing up.  It hasn't been easy for him."

      "I know, but sometimes I just want to slap him around a bit and tell him to lighten up," Carey said ruefully, and Sage chuckled.            

      "Just don't do it tonight," he said.  "Rowen went to a lot of trouble for this dinner party.  I don't think he'd appreciate a brawl breaking out.  And no starting fights with Kento," Sage warned as they headed up the walk to Rowen's door.

      "I promise I will be on my best behavior, if only so I can look smug when he isn't," Carey assured him.  "Besides, I left my pointe shoes at home."

      Sage laughed.  "I guess I should have warned you --- when Kento comes over for dinner, never leave anything on the table that isn't actual food.  Still, I wish you could have seen your face.  It's a good thing none of the guys speak Spanish --- you would have traumatized them for life."  Carey stuck out her tongue at him.

      The doorbell chimed, but there was no answer.  Sage waited a few moments, then pressed the bell again.  Still nothing.  "That's funny," he mused.  "Rowen must be home, his car is in the driveway."

      "Sage, look," Carey pointed out.  She pushed gently on the door and it swung open easily.  She shot her fiancé a puzzled glance.  "It wasn't closed all the way.  Does Rowen always leave his front door open like that?"

      "No, he doesn't," Sage replied slowly.  Something was wrong, he could feel it…. "Come on."  They walked into the brightly lit house, both of them now alert.  "Rowen?" Sage called.  "Rowen, is everything okay?"  Silence.

      "Sage, something's not right," Carey said.  She sniffed the air.  "What's that smell?"

      "Kitchen," Sage said tersely.  They went into the kitchen, and Carey let out an exclamation of dismay.  She hurried over to the oven and quickly turned it off, then opened the door.  A cloud of dark gray smoke billowed out.  Coughing, Sage opened a window as Carey turned on the fan.  Sage regarded the carbonized lasagna with a raised eyebrow.  "Well, I guess some things never change," he said wryly.

      Carey shook her head.  "This doesn't make sense.  Rowen leaves his front door open and then just forgets about the dinner he's fixing?  I know he can be a little absent-minded sometimes, but this goes way beyond that."

      Sage looked around the kitchen.  Foodstuffs and utensils were neatly arrayed on the counter --- _the way Cye always taught us_, Sage thought.  _Have what you needed ready and nearby so that you didn't overcook anything while you were hunting for the oregano or whatever._  A drawer was open, and Sage glanced over its contents --- batteries, a hammer and assorted nails, a tape measure, but nothing cooking-related.  _A junk drawer.  Why would he have gone in here while he was fixing dinner?  There's no sign of a struggle…it looks like he just walked away for a moment._  That feeling of _wrongness _was getting stronger.  "Let's check the house," he said aloud.

      They moved through the silent house, calling Rowen's name but getting no answer.  Sage went upstairs, while Carey prowled the first floor.  Finding nothing, she was about to go rejoin Sage when she noticed a doorway to her right.  Carey cautiously moved to inspect it, seeing that it was, in fact, a basement entrance.  "Rowen?" she queried as she started down the steps.  "Rowen, are you down here?"  She glanced down…and froze in horror.  "Oh, no," she whispered, then found her voice.  "Sage!  _Sage!_"

      Sage heard his girlfriend scream and rushed downstairs.  "Carey?"

      "Sage, the basement!  _Hurry!_"

      Sage raced to the top of the basement steps.  "Carey, what --- oh, my _God!_"  He practically vaulted down to where Carey knelt beside their injured friend.

      Rowen lay crumpled at the foot of the stairs, unconscious, his face white.  Blood from a gash on his forehead had matted in his hair and formed a small pool on the cement floor and his right hand was black and blue.  Carey dug a penlight out of her purse and shone it in each of Rowen's eyes.  "Breathing is shallow and his pulse is rapid and weak," she said quickly.  "Pupils reacting normally.  I think he's going into shock.  He needs an ambulance like yesterday."

      "He must have fallen and hit his head on the stairs," Sage noted.  He pulled out a cell phone and dialed 911.  "Carey, go get a blanket and a couple of --- "

      "Clean towels," Carey finished for him.  "I'm on it."  She ran up the stairs as the 911 operator answered Sage's call.  "I need an ambulance right away," Sage told the operator.  He gave her Rowen's address, then listened to her questions.  "It looks like he fell…no, he's not conscious…yes, he's breathing and he has a pulse…I don't know, we found him like this, but I'd guess it's been a while."

      Carey returned and draped an afghan over Rowen's still form.  "The head wound has stopped bleeding," she observed.  "That's one good thing at least.  Is the ambulance on its way?"

      "As we speak," Sage replied.  "Damn.  What do you think happened to him?"

      "I don't know.  He hit his forehead, which means he fell forward.  Tripped, maybe?"  She looked back at the stairs.  "There's blood on the second step from the top.  Must have been where he hit."  Carey rose to her feet.  "I'm going to go outside and wait for the ambulance.  And Ryo, Cye, and Kento should be here any moment, if they aren't already --- I'll head them off and let them know what's happened."

      "Good thinking," Sage agreed.  Carey vanished up the stairs, and Sage knelt by Rowen's side, gently holding his friend's uninjured hand.  "It's okay, buddy," he murmured.  A siren wailed outside.  "Hang in there.  It's going to be all right."

      Three hours later, Sage looked up as Cye Mouri walked into the hospital waiting room.  "Any luck getting hold of Ryo?"

      The redheaded Ronin shook his head.  "No.  Nothing.  I waited as long as I could, but he never showed, and he hasn't answered his pager.  I hope he's okay.  This isn't like him."

      "What I want to know," Kento Layfang spoke up, "is how Rowen managed to bash his head on the stairs like that.  He's not usually that klutzy."

      Carey wound a strand of her hair around her finger.  "I wonder if it really _was_ an accident."

      The others turned to look at her.  "What do you mean?" Cye asked.

      "Well, maybe I'm jumping at shadows here, but --- Rowen was in the middle of fixing dinner when this happened.  He left food cooking in the oven; wouldn't he have turned it off if he had to go to the basement for any length of time?  And why was he in the basement in the first place?  Plus, if he tripped, wouldn't he have hit his chin when he tried to catch himself instead of his forehead?  I don't know, it just seems like something doesn't add up here."

      "Thank you, Nancy Drew," Kento said sardonically.  Carey glared at him.

       "Don't even start, you two," Sage warned.  He wearily rubbed his eyes.  "The only one who can tell us what happened is Rowen, and he's still being fussed over by the various doctors inhabiting this place.  What the hell is taking so long, anyway?"

      "I think we're about to get an answer," Cye replied as a balding, bespectacled man in a white lab coat entered the room.  He seemed surprised to see four young people gathered in his waiting room.  "Are you Rowen Hashiba's family?" he asked.

      "For all intents and purposes," Sage answered, shaking the man's outstretched hand.  "I'm Sage Date; this is my fiancée, Carey Navarro; our friends, Cye Mouri and Kento Layfang.  How is Rowen?"

      "I'm Doctor Araki," the doctor said, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses.  "I'm a neurology specialist.  Your friend is a very lucky young man.  He has a lot of bruises and he's cracked a bone in his right hand, but fortunately nothing else was broken.  He's sustained a concussion, and he needed a few stitches to close the laceration on his forehead; however, X-ray shows no skull fractures and the CAT scans show no bleeding or swelling of the brain.  Of course, we won't know anything for certain until he's fully conscious, but for now I'd say the prognosis is good."

      "Thank God," Sage murmured, as the others sighed with relief.  "Can we see him?"

       Dr. Araki nodded.  "Of course, but not for very long.  He's still very groggy from the concussion and the pain medication and keeps drifting in and out of consciousness.  You won't be able to talk to him much, but I'm sure he'll feel better knowing that you're here.  This way."  The doctor led the small group down the hall to a room.  "He's in here.  Don't stay too long though.  He needs to rest."

      "Thank you, Doctor," Carey said. Dr. Araki nodded to her and moved over to the nurses' station.

      The room was dimly lit, and most of the space was taken up by the bed in its center.  A monitor beeped softly but the Ronins ignored it, their attention focused on the bed's occupant.  Rowen's forehead and right hand were bandaged, and a purple bruise on his cheekbone stood out in stark relief against the pale skin.  Kento let out a long, low whistle.  "Wow.  Poor guy.  He looks like hell."

      "Quiet, Kento," Sage scolded his friend.  He and Carey moved to stand to Rowen's right, Cye and Kento to his left.  Sage gently picked up Rowen's bandaged hand.  "Rowen?  Rowen, can you hear us?"

      Rowen's dark lashes fluttered, then lifted slowly.  His midnight blue eyes were clouded from pain and the drugs, and he struggled to focus them.  "Guys?" he whispered.

     "Shhh, we're here," Sage reassured the injured man.  "Don't try to talk.  You're going to be okay, but you have to rest."

     Rowen didn't seem to hear him.  His gaze moved slowly from one face to the other, as if he were searching for something.  "Ryo…"

      Cye took Rowen's other hand, careful not to disturb the IV line.  "Ryo's not here, Rowen.  We couldn't get in touch with him.  But don't worry, we'll let him know what's happened."

      A small whimper of pain escaped Rowen as his head moved restlessly on the pillow.  "Ryo," he murmured again.

      The others exchanged puzzled glances, and Carey bent close to brush Rowen's blue hair away from his bandaged forehead.  "Ryo what, sweetheart?" she asked gently.  "What's wrong?  Is he in trouble?"

      Rowen's eyelids fluttered as he struggled to stay conscious.  He seemed to be trying to talk for a moment.  "…did this…" he finally managed.

      Carey, Sage, Cye and Kento froze, stunned, unable to believe what they had heard.  Finally Sage found his voice.  "What do you mean, 'did this'?  Come on, buddy, stay with us.  Did Ryo do this to you?"

      "Said…it wasn't…over," Rowen mumbled weakly.  "Said armors…made us…been looking for…us…"  His voice faded out and his eyes closed as Rowen slipped back into unconsciousness.

      "Rowen?" Sage prodded gently.  "Rowen, what do you mean?"

      "Forget it, Sage, he's out again," Kento said.  "Come on, we're not going to get anything more out of him tonight.  Let the guy rest."

      Sage nodded and placed Rowen's hand back on the bed.  Carey dropped a soft kiss on Rowen's head above the bandage, Cye squeezed his hand, and Kento touched his shoulder.  They filed silently out into the hall, then just stood looking at each other for a moment.  It was Kento who finally spoke.  "_Now_ what do we do?" he asked.

      "There's not much we _can_ do," Sage replied.  "The police are checking out the scene and will tell us if they find anything suspicious, but I'd rather not tell them about Ryo being missing just yet.  Anyway, we can't file a missing-persons report for twenty-four hours, and hopefully he'll show up before then.  All we can do is wait and see."

     "Should we stay here and keep an eye on Rowen?" Cye asked.

     "No, I don't think it would do much good.  The nurses won't let us stay in his room, and we can't do anything from the waiting area.  Besides, his room is right next to the nurses' station, and they'll have to check on him frequently because of the head injury.  We can let them know to watch for any visitors besides us, but all in all I think Rowen's in good hands.  The best thing we can do now is to go home and try to get some rest so we can figure all this out tomorrow."  As the others nodded, Sage turned to Carey.  "Honey, why don't you head on out to the car?" he suggested.  "I'll be there in a minute --- I want to talk to the guys."

      If Carey was surprised by this --- Sage had never excluded her before --- she kept it to herself.  "You two take care," she said to Cye and Kento.  To Sage she added, "Don't be long --- I know it's not the most important thing on your mind right now, but we have an early appointment for premarital counseling tomorrow."

      "You guys haven't even gotten married yet and you're already in counseling?" Kento asked incredulously.  Cye hid a smile as Carey rolled her eyes.

      "It's required for a church wedding, Kento," Sage explained with exaggerated patience.  "Don't worry, _koibito_, this won't take long."  Carey nodded and kissed him briefly, then turned and headed down the hallway.  When she was out of view, the smile melted from Sage's face, leaving a grim expression in its wake.  "So what do you think?" he asked his fellow Ronins.

      "I can't believe it," Cye murmured.  "Why would Ryo attack Rowen?"

      "What makes you so sure he did?" Kento demanded.  "You really think Rowen is actually thinking straight right now?"

      "But why else would he accuse Ryo like that?" Sage pointed out.  "Something's not right here, guys."

      "Sage, Rowen is _stoned_," Kento replied.  "He just cracked his head open and he's been drugged on top of that.  We could probably tell him the Easter Bunny attacked him and he'd believe it right now.  You know, guys, I think we're all making a big case out of what was probably just a simple accident.  Besides, it's not fair to trash Ryo when he's not here to defend himself."

      "Which brings us to my next point --- where _is_ Ryo?" Sage asked.  "It's not like him to just not show up.  Cye, you couldn't reach him at all?"

      Cye shook his auburn head.  "No.  I tried his home and left several messages, he wasn't at work, and he hasn't answered his pager.  What I'd like to know is, if this was just an accident, why did Rowen look so scared when he woke up?  What did he see that frightened him so much?"  A sudden thought struck him.  "Sage…Rowen mentioned the armors.  Carey doesn't know about them, does she?"

      "No, and it'll stay that way if I have anything to say about it," Sage replied grimly.  "I can probably convince her that Rowen was delirious or something.  He only mentioned them once, so maybe she didn't notice."

      Kento snorted.  "Yeah, sure.  Sage, I may not always understand what you see in her, but I do know one thing --- she's not stupid.  If Rowen mentioned the armors, then she heard it.  She doesn't miss much," he muttered resentfully.

      "Like the time she heard you describe ballet dancers as 'narcissistic poofballs'?" Cye said archly.  "Or the time you tried to eat her new pointe shoes?"

      "A, she was in the kitchen and wasn't supposed to hear that, and B, they were on the table with the food and why did she put them there in the first place?" Kento defended himself.  "And anyway, she didn't have to _hit_ me with them."  He scowled at the memory.  "Those things are _hard,_" he grumbled. 

      "Served you right," was Sage's unsympathetic reply.

      "Sage, you _should_ tell her," Cye suggested gently, but Sage shook his head.

      "No," he said firmly.  "I don't want her involved with that.  Besides, what would I say?  'Oh, by the way, honey, when I was in high school my friends and I wore mystical armor and battled demons and saved the world a few times'?  She'd think I was nuts."  He shook his head again.  "No, Cye.  That part of our lives is over, and I for one don't intend to go back."  Sage shrugged on his jacket.  "'Night, guys.  Call me if you hear anything."

      When Sage had gone, Kento turned to look at Cye.  "Do you really think it's over?" 

      Cye sighed unhappily.  "I _hope_ it's over; I _pray_ it's over," he replied quietly.  "But no, Kento, I don't _think_ it's over." 

***********************************************************************************************

_querido:_ Spanish, lit. "desired/wanted one"; a term of endearment used for a lover.

_koibito:_ Japanese, "sweetheart"

_pointe shoes: _the stiffened shoes worn by a ballet dancer that enable her to dance on the tips of her toes.                                 


	5. Feel The Burn

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

**Chapter Four: Feel The Burn    **

     Cye put the phone down and wearily rubbed his temples, trying to massage away the headache that was steadily forming there.  He had been on the phone since early that morning, checking every hospital and morgue in the area to see if they had anyone fitting Ryo's description.  Kento had gone to talk to the people at the zoo where Ryo worked, and Sage had used his father's police contacts to check the jails and precinct holding areas.  So far they were all batting zero, and Cye wasn't entirely sure that that was a good thing.

      How could Ryo have just vanished so completely?  And why had he attacked Rowen last night?  Kento could protest all he wanted, but Cye was certain that, no matter how bad a shape Rowen was in, he would not accuse a friend without good reason.  If Rowen said that Ryo had hurt him, then Cye believed it.  The question was, why?  Cye sighed and leaned back in his chair.  None of this was making sense, and all he was doing was going around in circles.

      The phone rang suddenly, and Cye leaped to answer it.  "Hello?"

      "Cye?  Hey, buddy, it's me," came Kento's familiar voice on the other end.  "Any luck yet?"

      "No, nothing," Cye replied.  "You?"

      "Zip, zilch, and _nada_, man," Kento said, and Cye could hear the frustration in his voice.  "I talked to Sage --- he says it might take a while before all the information comes in, but so far he's coming up empty too.  It's like Ryo just disappeared."

      "We're doing all we can, Kento," Cye reassured his friend.  "I know it's hard, but we just have to have patience…and a little hope wouldn't hurt, either."

      "Yeah, yeah, whatever.  I still think we could get more done if Sage wasn't so busy with this wedding of his.  You notice that 'counseling' session came before his looking for Ryo," Kento grumbled.

      "Kento, that's not fair," Cye warned.  "Sage called his dad last night and asked him to start checking the police reports.  And as for the rest, Sage and Carey have been planning their wedding since last summer, and it's less than two months away.  Sage has a lot to deal with right now; you can't just expect him to drop everything and focus solely on this.  You still have that Little League game to coach today, don't you?"

      "Well…yeah."

      "And you intend to be there, am I right?"

      "Yeah, but…"

      "Well, there you go," Cye pointed out.  "Kento, we're all worried about Ryo, and we're all doing our best to find him.  But we also have to go on with our lives.  I still have a thesis to work on, you have those kids to coach, Sage has a wedding to get through, and we all still have to report for work on Monday morning.  We can't expect that to stop just because someone we care about is missing."

      Kento was silent for a moment, then he sighed.  "Okay, I get your point," he said reluctantly.  "But I just hate not knowing anything.  I feel like there ought to be something more we can do."

      "I'm going to check Ryo's apartment today, and Sage and Carey will be bringing Rowen home.  Why don't we meet you at the park after your game?  We can decide what we're going to do then, and hopefully we'll have some more information."

      "Sounds like a plan.  The game should be over around five-thirty or six.  You want me to call Sage and let him know?"

      "Yes, thanks."  Cye scribbled a quick note.  "I'll see you this evening, then."

      "Okay.  Hope you find something, man."  Kento hung up, and Cye replaced the receiver.  _I hope so too_, he thought.

      When Carey and Sage arrived at the hospital, Rowen was propped up in bed, dozing lightly.  His blue eyes flew open at Carey's quiet knock and he smiled.  "Hey, guys," he murmured.

      "Hey yourself, Sleeping Beauty," Carey replied as she hugged him gently.  She stepped back a pace to study him.  "You look so much better.  How are you feeling?"

      Rowen chuckled.  "Like I got hit by an 18-wheeler, and then someone decided to start a strip-mining operation in my skull," he confessed.

      "Well, don't worry, they won't find much," Sage teased as he enfolded Rowen in a brotherly hug.  "We were worried about you, buddy," he continued.  "It was kind of a shock showing up for dinner and finding you out cold and bleeding in the basement.  What happened?"

      "I talked to the police this morning," Rowen said, evading the question.  "They think it was just an accident --- I got careless and left my front door open, then tripped and fell on the stairs." 

      Carey perched lightly on the edge of his bed.  "And did you?"

      Rowen looked from Carey to Sage and back again, as if trying to decide just how much to trust them with.  Sage decided to make the choice a little easier.  "Rowen," he said quietly, "when we came to see you last night, you were in pretty bad shape.  You didn't say much, but the one thing you _did_ say was that this was no accident.  Care to elaborate on that?"

      "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Rowen said.

      "Try us," was Carey's reply.

      Rowen sighed.  "I got home yesterday afternoon and started dinner, but a little while later all the lights went out.  I thought I'd blown a fuse.  So I got a flashlight and went to the basement to check it out.  The weird thing was, _none_ of the lights were working, even though they're on separate fuses.  I figured something must have tripped the circuit breaker."

      Sage and Carey exchanged glances.  "Rowen," Carey said slowly, "all your lights were on when we got there."

      A thin smile crossed Rowen's face.  "I wouldn't know," he replied dryly.  "I didn't see them then.  Anyway, I was in the basement when I heard a noise, but there wasn't a whole lot of light and I couldn't see much.  Then someone called my name."

      He looked up, and his eyes were dark with dread at the memory.  "It was Ryo," Rowen went on.  "I thought it was just a joke --- that he had messed with the lights to creep me out or something.  But when I asked him what was going on, he just muttered something about how it 'wasn't over yet' and that he had been 'looking' for me.  Then he swung a wrench at me."  Rowen held up his bandaged right hand.  "That's how this happened.  He knocked the flashlight out of my hand.  I tried to get him to talk to me, but he just kept swinging at me and I wasn't about to let him land another shot.  So I ran up the stairs, I felt something grab my ankle, and then --- "  He shrugged.  "The next thing I know, I'm waking up here."

      There was a heartbeat or two of silence.  "Rowen, are you sure?" Sage finally asked.  "If you're right about this, you're opening up a major can of worms, buddy. Think about it --- you hit your head pretty badly last night.  No one can blame you for being a little confused.  Are you positive about what you saw?"

      "I told you you wouldn't believe me," Rowen said flatly.

      "I didn't say that," Sage replied.  "But you've just accused our good friend, someone we've known and trusted for years, of attacking you.  I just want to make sure that you're absolutely certain about this."

      Rowen's eyes met Sage's, and the certainty in them was unmistakable.  "I know what this could mean, and for the record, I don't like it.  But I'm not going to lie to make everybody feel better.  I know what I saw last night, and it was Ryo.  I don't know why he did this…I just know that he _did_."

      "But what about the armors?" Carey asked, and both men looked at her.  "Rowen, last night you said something about armors having 'made' you.  What did you mean?"

      Rowen shot a glance at Sage and saw the almost imperceptible shake of his head, as well as the flash of warning in his friend's violet eyes.  "Armors?" Rowen said with a short laugh.  "Carey, I was out of my mind last night.  I don't remember half of what I said.  I must have been dreaming or something, because I sure don't know anything about any 'armors'.  Has anyone heard from Ryo yet?" he asked, deftly changing the subject.  

      "I tried this morning and got no answer, and he hasn't answered any of Cye's pages," Sage replied.  "We've been checking the hospitals and jails, but so far no luck.  Cye's going to check Ryo's apartment today, and he'll let us know what he finds when we meet him at Kento's Little League game today.  Speaking of which, are you ready to go?"

      "Just about.  I'm just waiting for the discharge paperwork."

      "Why don't you stay with us for a couple of days?" Sage suggested.  "I don't feel comfortable letting you go home alone with a concussion and a busted hand, especially considering how you got them."

      Rowen shook his head.  "I don't want to put you guys to any trouble.  I'll be fine."

      "Sage is right," Carey chimed in.  "We have a spare room --- I've had dancer friends crash with us once in a while.  And you really shouldn't be alone right now.  Besides, you're family, not to mention Sage's best man.  It won't be any trouble at all."  

      "Guys, I'll be okay," Rowen protested.  "I'm a big boy.  I can take care of myself."

      "Humor us," Sage said dryly.

      "And we're taking you home anyway," Carey added.  "Your car's not here and the doctor probably won't let you drive in your condition.  So why not save us a trip?  You know we're going to bug you until you say yes."

      Rowen eyed the two of them with a mixture of affection and exasperation.  "You know, maybe I should just stay here for a while.  I mean, they fuss over me, they feed me three times a day, and I don't have to feel guilty about lying around watching the mind-rotting stuff that passes for television these days."

      "Now there's an idea," Carey agreed with a deceptively sweet smile.  "I'm sure the newer nurses will be especially glad to have you around…they'll have someone to practice using those huge needles on."  She looked up at Sage, her amber eyes twinkling.   "We _did_ tell him about the needles, right?" she asked innocently.

      Rowen looked at Sage, his eyes widening.  Sage fought to keep his expression neutral as he held his index fingers about a foot apart.  "Big ones," he agreed solemnly.

      Rowen blanched and gulped audibly.  "Well --- since you put it that way, I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay at your place for a little while."

      "I knew you'd see reason," Carey said.  The nurse came in with Rowen's discharge forms, and Carey stood up.  "While you're filling those out, we'll go get the car."  She kissed Rowen's cheek and glided out of the room, a grinning Sage in her wake.

      As soon as they were safely out of earshot, Sage burst out laughing.  "Carey, that was downright cruel.  Rowen is deathly afraid of needles and you know it."

      Carey's lovely face was the picture of innocence.  "Really?  Oh, dear --- it must have slipped my mind."

      Sage grinned at his bride-to-be.  "You are _so_ evil sometimes."

      "Yeah," Carey agreed smugly.  "I know."

      Cye knocked on the door of the building manager.  A tiny silver-haired woman answered.  "_Hai_?"

      Cye bowed politely to her.  "_Konnichi wa_, ma'am.  My name is Cye Mouri --- I'm a friend of Ryo Sanada.  Have you seen him lately?"

      The woman nodded.  "Once or twice.  He's a good young man, keeps to himself, doesn't cause trouble.  Is something wrong?"

      "Well, he didn't show up for dinner at one of our friend's house last night, and he hasn't answered his phone or his pager.  I've knocked on his door, but there's no answer.  Would it be possible to check the apartment?"

      The old woman eyed Cye suspiciously.  "Are you from the police?  I could get in a lot of trouble for letting you in without a search warrant."

      "I know, ma'am, but it isn't like Ryo to simply vanish like this, and we're all getting worried.  We can't file a missing-persons report until tomorrow morning, and I'd feel better if we knew he was actually missing before we did that.  He might just be hurt and he can't call for help."  The woman still looked skeptical.  "Please, ma'am, I know this is a bit problematic, but we have to know if anything's happened to Ryo," Cye urged.

      The manager considered this for a moment, then nodded.  "Wait here."  She disappeared into her office for a moment, then returned bearing a master key.  She led Cye up the stairs to Ryo's apartment and fiddled with the lock, muttering to herself.  The door swung open and she stood back to let Cye enter the apartment.  "You know I have to stay with you, just in case," she warned.

      "I know that, and I'm grateful for your help," Cye replied.  "I won't take too much of your time."  The woman sniffed, and Cye had to smother a smile.  He would be willing to bet that the old dragon didn't let anything untoward happen in _her_ building.  Turning his attention to the task at hand, Cye began to search the apartment.

      The little apartment was neatly kept --- maybe a bit dusty, but no more so than could be expected for a bachelor who had other things to think about, Cye thought.  Ryo had never been a neat freak of, say, Sage's magnitude, but neither was he a slob like Kento.  The bed was made, the refrigerator and cupboards well stocked, and there was no sign of a struggle or of Ryo's having left hastily.  The only thing that struck Cye as strange was the collection of framed photos gathered on a table.  They were all of Ryo's grandparents, or of the Ronins, or of Mia…and they were all in the same place.  _Odd_, Cye mused.  _I know the last time I was here those pictures were scattered throughout the apartment.  This one of him and Mia used to be on his bedside table, and this one of the five of us was on his computer desk.  Why did he move them all here, to this one spot?_  The light coat of dust on the frames told Cye that the pictures had been there for a while.  _What does this mean?_

      The red light on Ryo's answering machine was blinking, signaling unanswered messages, and Cye frowned thoughtfully at it.  _There's no note, nothing to indicate that Ryo expected to be gone longer than he normally would.  Nothing seems to be missing…except Ryo._  Cye turned to the elderly manager, who was watching him like a hawk.  "You said you've seen Ryo once or twice." he asked abruptly.  "When was the last time you actually saw him?"

      The woman thought a moment.  "Would have to be day before yesterday," she said.  "He was paying his rent.  Always on time, too…not like _some_ others," she added with a disdainful sniff.

      "Did you notice anything odd about him?  Did he say anything to you?"

      "Well, now that you mention it, he did look rather tired, almost as if he were unhappy about something."  She paused.  "You don't think he's done away with himself, do you?"

      Cye felt a flash of irritation at her ghoulishness.  "I certainly hope not, ma'am," he replied calmly.  "Well, I don't think there's anything more to be found here.  Thank you for your help."

      The old woman nodded as they left the apartment, locking the door behind them.  At the foot of the stairs, as they prepared to part ways, she suddenly caught Cye's arm.  "If you find anything, you'll let me know, won't you?" she asked.

      Surprised, Cye looked at her.  "Of course," he said.  "But if you'll forgive my saying so --- I thought you didn't get too involved with your tenants."

      "I don't.  But Sanada-san is a good man.  Always pays his rent on time, never has any loud parties or gives me any trouble.  He even remembered my birthday," she added with something that could have been a tiny, wistful smile.  "My own son couldn't manage that.  I'd hate for something to happen to Sanada-san."

      Cye was oddly touched.  So the dragon had a heart, after all.  "I'll let you know as soon as we find out anything," he promised.  On impulse, he bent and lightly kissed the old woman's withered cheek.  "_Arigatō, obāsan_."  He headed out into the bright spring sunshine, leaving her staring after him with one hand pressed to her cheek.

      "So you didn't find anything?" Sage asked.

      Cye shook his head regretfully.  "No, not a trace," he replied, raising his voice to be heard above the cheering crowd.  "I even checked the alleys around the building.  Nothing.  It's as if he's just vanished off the face of the earth."

      "What about his car?" Rowen spoke up.

      "Still parked in front of his building.  The engine was cold, so it hasn't been driven for a while."

      "According to Kento, Ryo called in sick to work yesterday," Sage said.  "The police didn't have anyone fitting Ryo's description in custody, and there haven't been any traffic accidents involving any John Does.  I've already filed a missing-persons report, but it won't go into effect until tomorrow morning."

      "If he attacked Rowen last night, we know he's probably still alive," Carey mused.  "The weird thing is, the police said there were no signs of forced entry at Rowen's house, and they haven't found any fingerprints from anyone other than Rowen, Sage, and myself.  Has anyone else wondered just how the heck he got into Rowen's house in the first place, and why all the lights were on when we got there?"

      "The lights we can explain," Rowen said.  "If he tripped the circuit breaker, he could just as easily fix it.  But my door was locked when I got home, and I locked it again as soon as I was in the house.  There aren't any windows in the basement, and I didn't see that any had been opened in the rest of the house."

      "The only window the police found open was the one I opened when Carey and I found dinner burning in the oven," Sage agreed.

      Cye ran a hand distractedly through his hair.  "None of this makes any sense!"

      Rowen sighed in agreement.  "We've got all these pieces, but none of them seem to fit together."

      "Well, for now, just try to relax and enjoy the game," Carey tried to console them.  "We'll talk to Kento when it's over and try to figure out our next move.  But you guys could use a break right now."  They all agreed with that, and settled down to watch the baseball game.

      The game was interesting enough, Rowen decided, considering that the players were all eight to twelve years old.  But Kento was every bit as entertaining, if not more so.  He stood in the dugout, waving his arms and loudly exhorting his team to victory, bestowing a pat on the shoulder here, tousling a dark head there.  When one of his young players hit a home run, he punched the air and yelled as loudly as if his kids had just won the World Series.  "I think Kento enjoys this even more than the kids do," Rowen observed.

      "Kento as Little League coach," Sage murmured in amusement.  "Who'd have thought?"

      "Well, he's always been good with kids," Cye said.  "I guess it comes naturally to him, being the oldest of five."

      "Is he still talking about joining the police force?"

      "Key word is _talking_," Cye replied with a faintly exasperated roll of his eyes.  "He says he's busy with the restaurant, and I'm sure that's the case, but somehow I get the feeling he's stalling just a bit."

      "Well, it would be a big change," Rowen put in.  "Maybe he doesn't feel he's ready yet."

      "And speaking of big changes, how did the 'premarital counseling' go?" Cye asked Sage.

      Sage let out a small snort of laughter.  "Boring.  Marriage-as-sacrament, huge responsibility, joining two lives as one in an eternal bond, etcetera and so forth," he said dismissively.  "Why we have to have somebody who's never been married tell us about the sanctity of marriage is beyond me."

      "I really wish you didn't have to be so flippant about it," Carey scolded.  "I know you don't like it and neither do I, but it's a requirement for being married in church."

      "And since when have you been a particularly observant churchgoer?"

      "I'm not, really, but my parents are semi-fervent Catholics, and they'd freak if I wasn't at least married in _a_ church.  I had a hard enough time getting them to understand that Catholic churches are rather rare in Japan and that Sacred Heart was the best I could do."

      "Whose wedding is this, anyway, ours or theirs?" Sage demanded.  "You don't see me bending over backwards trying to organize a Shinto ceremony to placate _my_ parents."

      An unhappy look came over Carey's face.  "Haven't we already had this fight?" she asked quietly.

      Cye stepped quickly into the breach.  "Hey, guys, time out.  What does it matter where you're married or in whose faith, just as long as you _are_ married?  Isn't that the important thing?  The wedding's only for a short while --- the marriage is what's going to last."

      "Or at least it had better," Rowen interjected, trying to inject some humor into the situation.  "Because if I have to go through all these tuxedo fittings and get dressed up and make a fool of myself only to have you two change your minds and get divorced, I swear I'll kill you both.  I really think that tailor hates me, either that or he's an acupuncture-school dropout."

      Sage and Carey both smiled reluctantly.  "You're right.  I guess we've both been on edge lately, what with getting ready for this wedding and now Ryo disappearing," Sage admitted.  He took Carey's hand and kissed it gently.  "Sorry, _koibito_."  Carey leaned her head against his shoulder in tacit acceptance of his apology.

      The crowd erupted in cheers, and a moment later began to disperse from the stands.  "Looks like the game's over," Cye observed.  "And from the victory dance he's doing I'd say Kento's team won.  Come on, let's go see if we can catch him."

      It wasn't easy getting through the crowd of cheering parents and excited kids surrounding Kento, but Cye finally managed to catch his eye from the edges of the throng.  Kento nodded and told his young players that he would see them all at practice on Tuesday and to keep up the good work.  "The team we're up against next week has a 4-0 record so far, but I know we can at least give 'em a good fight," he instructed.  "And, hey, if we beat those guys --- I'm taking everybody out for pizza!"  This brought forth a deafening cheer, and the mob began to disperse.

      Kento made his way over to his friends.  "Hey, guys --- Rowen, how you doin', buddy?  Good to see you on your feet."

      Rowen nodded.  "I'm better, thanks.  Did you find out anything?"

      "Nothing.  What about you guys?"

      Cye shook his head.  "I checked Ryo's apartment this morning.  No sign of him, and I didn't see anything suspicious.  The landlady said she saw him day before yesterday and he seemed to be fine.  His car was still in its parking space, and it doesn't look like it's been driven recently."

      "I've come up empty, too," Sage added.  "None of the police stations have anyone in custody that fits Ryo's description.  We're drawing a big blank, guys."

      Kento looked at Rowen.  "Rowen, I gotta ask…are you sure it was Ryo that ambushed you?  I mean, it's not like I doubt you or anything, but it just doesn't sound like Ryo," he said apologetically.

      "It's okay, Kento," Rowen replied with a faint smile.  "I know it sounds crazy, and if it hadn't happened to me I wouldn't believe it myself.  But it was Ryo.  The question now is, what do we do about it?"

      No one could seem to answer that, and silence descended over the group for a moment.  Finally Kento said, "Well, we can't do much just standing around here.  Let me put this equipment away, and then we can go back to the restaurant and talk."

      "You want some help?" Sage volunteered.  Kento shook his head.

      "Nah," he replied, and to prove it swung two canvas bags filled with bats to his shoulder as easily as if they weighed almost nothing.  "I'll be back in a sec."

      The Ronin Warriors exchanged wry glances.  "Well," Cye murmured, "it's nice to know that some things will never change." 

      Kento unlocked the equipment shed as dusk spread shadows over the now almost deserted park.  His mind was replaying what the other Ronins had told him, trying to sort through the details and coming to the same unwanted conclusion --- Ryo had somehow lost it, hurt Rowen, and then gone AWOL.  But why?  _Aw, man, none of this makes any sense._  He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost didn't hear his name called.

      "Kento?"

      "Huh?"  Kento looked around, startled.  There was no one in sight.  "Who said that?"

      "Kento, help me."  The voice sounded like it came from inside the equipment shed.  Kento peered into the dimness, but it was hard to make out anything distinct.  He stepped into the shed, straining to see.  "Is someone in here?" he called.

      A shadow stirred against the murky gloom.  "Kento, it's me.  I need your help," the familiar voice pleaded.

      "Ryo?"  Kento couldn't believe it.  All this time they had been searching… "Man, where have you been?  We've been looking for you all over!  What's going on?"  He dropped the bats and moved forward.  "Ryo, talk to me, buddy."

      "Do the others know where you are?"

       That was a weird question, but Kento shrugged.  "They're waiting for me outside.  Ryo, come on, let's get out of here and I promise I'll help you.  Whatever happened with Rowen, I'm sure we can fix it, but you've gotta trust me."  He squinted, trying to make out Ryo's form in the deepening darkness.  "Ryo?"

      The door to the shed slammed shut.  Kento whirled, glancing warily around.  "I know you've been looking for me," Ryo said, and now he sounded coldly triumphant.  "That was your first mistake."  

      Kento cursed and groped his way to the door, tripping over the discarded bats as he did.  But finally he found the door handle and pulled.  Nothing.  He yanked harder, then pushed with all his might.

      Locked.

      "Ryo, I don't know how you did it, but _open this door!_"  No reply.  Swearing in earnest now, Kento pushed and pulled and pounded on the recalcitrant door to no avail.  He hurled his weight against the door until his shoulder ached, but it didn't budge and he was finally forced to stop a moment to catch his breath.  It was then that he noticed the strange, acrid odor.  It stung his nostrils and burned his throat, making him cough. Still trying to figure out how to get out of the shed, it took a moment before he finally identified the smell.  But when he did, his heart dropped to his toes.

      _Smoke_.  

      Sage glanced at his watch.  "Shouldn't Kento be back by now?"

      "Probably stopped for a snack," Cye said wryly.  "I wouldn't put it past him to have food hidden in the equipment shed.  But come on, let's go find him before we wind up staying here all night."  

      They had only gone a few steps when Rowen stopped.  "Uh…guys?  Is that what I think it is?"  Three gazes followed his pointing finger, and Cye let out a dismayed curse none of them had even realized he knew.

      The back of the shed was limned in flame.

      They began to run across the grass, Sage tossing his cell phone to Carey in mid-stride.  "Call 911!" he barked.  As the woman struggled to dial the phone and run at the same time, the three Ronin Warriors raced around to the front of the shed.  Even before they reached it, they heard the thumping and yelling that told them Kento was trapped inside.  "Kento!"  Sage called.  "Kento, are you okay?"

      "_Get me out of here!_" came the bellowed reply.  Rowen reached for the door handle, only to remember his broken right hand.  He swore faintly and switched hands, tugging on the handle with all his strength.  "Damn!  It's locked!" he yelled.  "Kento, didn't you have a key?"

      "I left it in the door!" Kento shouted back in disgust.  The Ronins exchanged a glance.  _Oh, great._  

      "Well, it's not here now," Cye observed.  The flames were spreading; the heat was building rapidly and the smoke was making them all cough.  Cye and Sage joined Rowen in yanking on the door.  "There's no windows and no sign of an outside release," Cye said.  They could all hear Kento choking inside the burning shed.  "Guys, we're running out of time!"

      "Tell us something we don't already know," Sage snapped.  "Carey, did you get help?"

      "The fire department is on its way, but it's going to be a few minutes," Carey replied.  "Is there anything I can do?"

      "Yes --- stay back out of the way," Sage replied shortly.  He pounded his fist on the wooden door, cursing in pain as the rough surface tore his skin.  "_Damn_ it!"

      Trapped in the flaming shed, Kento heard his teammates struggling to free him and knew they were having no more luck than he was.  The heat from the fire was rapidly becoming unbearable and he could hardly breathe.  Too much longer, he knew, and the smoke would overpower him.  "Ryo?" he gasped.  "Damn it, Ryo, answer me!  We've got to get out!"  The crackle of the hungry flames was his only reply.  Kento pulled his shirt up over his nose and mouth, trying to filter out the smoke.  It helped, but not much.

      The back wall of the shed caved in with a crash, leaving a wall of flame where it had once been.  Kento knew it wouldn't be long before the rest of the building followed suit.  He drew back slightly and glared at the locked door, then took as deep a breath as he could and resolutely squared his shoulders.  _It's now or never._

      The Ronins flinched as the back wall collapsed, then redoubled their efforts.  Their eyes were watering from the smoke and their faces were streaked with soot and sweat, but they were not about to give up.  "This thing's going to go down soon!" Rowen yelled.  "Where in the goddamned hell is the fire department?!" 

      A fierce, enraged roar suddenly split the air.  The three men froze, then Cye grabbed Sage and Rowen by the backs of their shirts and yanked them back --- just in time.  A split second later, Kento's bulk smashed into the door with tremendous force, ripping it from its hinges.  Propelled by his momentum, Kento careened out of the shed and crashed into his friends just as the shed collapsed into blazing wreckage.  The four Ronins tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.  

      Coughing and covered in soot,  Kento untangled himself from the mêlée and smiled sheepishly at his stunned, battered friends.  "Thanks, guys," he said.

      The flames had been extinguished and the Ronins' minor wounds treated, but none of them could bring themselves to leave the park.  They huddled together beneath the garishly flashing lights of the fire trucks, watching as the fire inspectors searched the rubble of the burned-out shed.   Each knew there were a lot of questions to be answered --- and asked --- but for now they were content to simply appreciate their narrow escape.

      Finally Kento broke the silence with a heavy sigh.  "I didn't want to have to say it, but…you were right, Rowen," he admitted slowly.  

      Turquoise, indigo, violet, and amber eyes turned to stare at him.  "You mean…?" Cye asked, his voice trailing off.

      Kento nodded unhappily.  "I mean.  Ryo was in that shed.  He lured me in there…said he needed my help.  Then he locked the door and set the shed on fire.  He said looking for him was my first mistake."  To the others' surprise, a tear rolled down Kento's cheek, and he turned and bashed his fist against the side of the fire truck.  "Dammit, why did he have to do something so _stupid?_" he railed.

      "Kento, take it easy," Sage tried to console his friend.  "We'll find Ryo.  At least we know he's alive and okay, more or less."

      "That's just it --- he's not."  Kento struggled to maintain his composure, but he failed miserably.  "Guys…Ryo was in that shed when it caught fire.  He said looking for him was a mistake _after_ he locked the door."

      "But, Kento, you were the only one who got out of that…"  Rowen's voice failed as he realized what Kento was saying.  "Oh, no…no, it can't be," he breathed, a look of shock settling over his face.

      "Let's not panic just yet," Cye said gently, trying to forestall the inevitable.  "Maybe Ryo made it out.  It had to be dark in there, Kento --- couldn't Ryo have slipped out without you seeing him?  I mean, maybe he was outside the door when you heard him," he suggested hopefully, but Kento just shook his shaggy head.

      "He was right inside there with me, Cye.  I heard him plain as day," Kento replied mournfully.  "The smoke must have overcome him…he didn't even try to get out."  Another tear escaped him.  "We have to face it, guys --- nobody could have survived in there.  Ryo is…is…"  He couldn't finish.  He didn't have to.

      A deep, desolated silence came over the Ronin Warriors as they faced the awful truth.  Sage pulled Carey into his arms and clung to her tightly.  Cye's turquoise eyes filled with tears as he slipped a comforting arm around Kento's broad shoulders and Rowen turned away, hugging himself as his shoulders shook with grief.  

      The commander of the fire unit bustled up to the small group.  He seemed somewhat surprised at their downcast expressions, but he made no comment on that.  "Well, it seems our work here is done, gentlemen, miss," he said briskly.  "We have your statements, and we'll continue to investigate, but for now we can only rule the cause of the fire as 'undetermined'."

      For the first time, the Ronins noticed that the fire investigators were packing up their gear and preparing to leave.  "Wait a minute," Kento demanded in outrage.  "You mean you're not even going to get him out?"

      The man's face was a study in puzzlement.  "Get who out?"

      "The guy who was in the shed with me!  I know there's…there's probably not much left, but the least you could do is get him out so we can give him a decent funeral," Kento sputtered.

      The fire chief stared at Kento as if the younger man had lost his mind.  "Layfang-san, I know this was a terrible ordeal for you, and perhaps you are still somewhat confused.  But there was no one else in that shed."

      He had everyone's attention now, as five pairs of eyes stared at him in shock.  "Are you sure?" Sage asked slowly, his mind reeling.  "You didn't find _anything?_"

      "Date-san, my men have combed the rubble several times.  We will, of course, check again in the daylight tomorrow, but I can tell you with utter certainty that there was no sign of anyone else in the shed.  Layfang-san was alone when the fire started."

      "But…but that's not possible," Kento stammered.  "Ryo was in there, I know it.  I heard him, I even _saw_ him!  You guys must have missed something!"

       The commander bristled.  "I assure you, my men know how to do their jobs thoroughly.  We have searched the remains of the shed very closely, and we have found no body, not even remains.  No, Layfang-san --- you were the only person in that shed.   There was no one else."  He walked away, leaving the former warriors staring after him in confusion.  But it was Rowen who gave voice to what they were all thinking.

      "What the _hell_ is going on here?" he wondered.

***********************************************************************************************

_nada:_ Spanish, "nothing".

_hai: _Japanese, "yes".

_konnichi wa:_ Japanese, "hello" or "good day".

_arigatō:_ Japanese, "thank you".

_obāsan:_ Japanese, "grandmother".

      __


	6. Secrets And Lies

Heart Of Darkness 

**By Icewyche**

**Note from the author:**  Okay, faithful (and not-so-faithful) readers, I have a challenge for you.  When you finish this chapter, go to my bio to see what it is.  And now, on with the story!

**Chapter Five: Secrets And Lies**

      Cye leaned wearily against the wall of the elevator.  It had been a very long day, and he wanted nothing more now than to soak his aching muscles in a hot tub and go to bed.  He couldn't even find the strength to wonder how in the world Ryo had gotten out of that burning shed without Kento noticing --- or where Ryo was now.  _In the morning,_ he thought tiredly, as his eyes slid closed.  _I'll worry about all of it in the morning.  The world will still be here then --- and if it's not, then I won't have to worry about it anyway._

      The elevator dinged as it arrived at his floor, and Cye managed to rouse himself enough to make his way down the hall to his door.  It took three tries before he could get it unlocked, but finally he made it into his living room.

      "Sweetheart, you're home!  It was getting so late, I was starting to worry," a light female voice chirped.  Slender arms enfolded him as the voice continued, "You didn't call or anything and what in heaven's name happened to you, you look like you've been in a bar fight and are those grass stains and why are you limping?"

      Cye just stood there as she rattled on, blinking stupidly as his fogged-over brain struggled to put a name to the voice and face in front of him.  "Emmy?" he finally managed.

      Emiko Satoya didn't even seem to notice that Cye had spoken.  "You've been working so hard and we really haven't spent a lot of time together lately, so I thought I would come over and fix dinner.  Of course, it's kind of hard to spend time with you when you're not here.  Do you have any idea what time it is?" the petite Japanese woman scolded.  "Where were you, anyway?"

      Cye shook his head, still not completely comprehending what was going on.  "Emmy, how did you even get in here?"

      "You gave me a key, remember?"  As Cye vaguely remembered that he had indeed done just that, Emiko went on, "You really look awful.  Honestly, Cye, I went to so much trouble for this, the least you could have done was let me know where you were or that you were going to be late."

      "Now how could I do that when I didn't even know you were here?" Cye replied, struggling to keep the growing resentment out of his voice.  After all, she had meant well …."Emmy, honey, I'm really tired, okay?  I know you tried, and I'm grateful for that, but now's really not a good time."

      A faintly sullen look began to creep over Emiko's doll-like features.  "It's never a good time, is it?" she pouted.  "You never seem to have time for me anymore…you're always working or doing research or out with your friends.  You didn't even tell me your friend Sage was getting married.  I found the invitation on your desk.  When were you going to tell me about that, Cye?"

      Now it was really getting hard to keep his tone level.  "You went through my desk?"

      "Well, you never talk to me anymore, I was afraid there might be someone else."  She looked up at him, her brown eyes beginning to glisten with tears.  "Is there someone else?"

      "Emmy, don't be ridiculous."

      "Oh, Cye, there is, isn't there?"  Emiko's lower lip trembled and her voice shook.  "I love you so much and I've tried to make this relationship work…what did I do wrong?  Wasn't I good enough?"  She burst into tears.  "I'm never good enough for anyone.  No matter how hard I try, I'm just never good enough."

      "Emmy, darling, that's not true," Cye protested awkwardly.  "I love you, I really do.  It's just that I've had a bad day and I'm very tired right now, and I guess I'm a bit out of sorts.  Honey, please don't cry."  Emiko continued to sob, and Cye was torn between comforting her or letting her cry herself out while he went to bed.  Guilt warred with exhaustion, and guilt won.  Cye sighed inwardly as he gathered Emiko into his arms and murmured soothingly to her.

      It had been a long day.  It was going to be an even longer night.

      Rowen looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, grimacing at the bruises on his face and wincing as his sore muscles protested the rough treatment they had gotten today.  _God, I look like hell._  Of course, he hadn't looked too good to begin with after falling down the basement stairs last night, and getting mowed down by Kento tonight had not helped any.  Well, at least he was clean now --- which was more than could be said for Sage, Rowen thought with a wry chuckle.

      He slipped into clean pajamas --- not an easy thing to do one-handed --- and headed down the hall to the guest bedroom.  He could hear the murmur of voices in the kitchen as Sage and Carey tried to make some sense out of the day's bizarre events.  Rowen knew he should probably join them, but his head was throbbing and his whole body ached and he really just wanted to sleep.  The painkillers he had taken a little while ago were finally starting to take effect, and Rowen wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to stay awake.  Still, he found himself just standing there in the hall outside the guest room, one hand on the doorknob, listening to his best friend and his best friend's fiancée talking…and wondering why he suddenly felt the same way he had when he was in grade school and the other kids had gone off to play in groups and he had been left standing there alone.

      Rowen shook his head quickly in annoyance and went into the bedroom, not even bothering to turn on the light.  He climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling.  _Of course Sage is going to share his feelings with Carey, _he thought. _ She's his fiancée --- soon to be his wife --- and he loves her and he's going to spend his life with her.  What kind of a marriage would they have if he couldn't talk to her?  This isn't like it was during the war with Talpa, when the five of us were all we had.  We've all moved on; we have new lives and new friends and that's the way it should be.  I'm just tired, _he told himself firmly._  That's why I'm acting like a sentimental idiot.  In the morning I'm going to remember this and feel really stupid. _ 

      So why did he still feel so lonely now, so…left-out?

      A gentle knock on the door interrupted Rowen's musings.  "Come in," he called, and was mildly surprised when Sage opened the door.  "Sage?  What's up?"

      Sage shrugged as he walked into the room.  "Just wanted to see if you needed anything," he replied.  "Actually, I can't believe you're still awake."

      "Not for much longer," Rowen said, smothering a yawn.  "I took those pills the doctor prescribed --- didn't really want to, but right now I feel like I've been run over by a freight train."

      "The Kento Express.  I'd forgotten how hard he can hit," Sage agreed, and Rowen had to smile.  Sage had not had a chance to shower or change yet, and he was a mess --- his once-neatly-pressed slacks and button-down shirt were wrinkled, dirty, and grass-stained, there was a bandage on his hand, and Rowen thought he still saw blades of grass caught in Sage's disheveled blonde hair.  "Well, get some rest, Rowen.  Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to figure out just what exactly is going on with Ryo."

      "Sage…can I ask you something?" Rowen queried hesitantly.  At Sage's nod, Rowen continued, "At the hospital today --- I saw the look on your face when Carey mentioned the armors.  Why didn't you want me to say anything about them?"  Even in the dim light from the hallway, Rowen could see the startled, wary look that crossed Sage's face, and it told him everything he needed to know.  "She doesn't know, does she?" he said slowly.

      Sage glanced furtively at the open bedroom door and sat down on the edge of the bed.  "No, she doesn't, and I don't want her to," he replied in a low voice.  "Can you imagine what would happen if she did?  I almost lost her once, Rowen.  I don't want to risk losing her again."    

      "Sage, it's not _that _bad.  It's not like you have another wife or a child hidden away somewhere.  She's not going to stop loving you just because you used to wear the Halo armor."

      "I don't want to take that chance.  She wouldn't understand about us, about what we were and what we did.  If she found out it might destroy everything we've managed to build together.  I can't tell her about this.  _She can never know._"

      "You can't just deny it ever happened," Rowen said gently.  "It was real, Sage, and we can't ever forget that.  How much longer do you think you can keep the truth from her, especially now?"

      "Rowen, it's over.  It's been over for seven years, and it's time to move on.  We don't need to resurrect old ghosts, especially not now.  Let it go."  Sage rose to his feet.  "You need to get some sleep, buddy.  It's been a long couple of days, and we're not out of the woods yet.  Good night, Rowen."

      "'Night, Sage."  Neither one of them saw the shadow that slipped past the door.

      Sage vigorously rubbed a towel over his hair as he walked into the bedroom.  Carey was sprawled on her stomach on her side of their bed, her lovely legs crossed in the air behind her as she scribbled something on a legal pad.  "What are you doing?" Sage asked.

      "Working on the text for the wedding programs," Carey replied without looking up.  "I'd like to get this in to the printer before the end of next week."

      Sage tossed the towel aside and sat down on the edge of the bed.  He reached out and twined a strand of her sable hair around his finger.  "Do you have to do that now?" he asked softly. 

      "Sage, we have six weeks to go until our wedding.  You're going to be working during that time, and I have a full schedule of performances, classes, and rehearsals.  I want to get this done and out of the way now so we're not rushing around like maniacs two days before," Carey said.  "It might go a little faster if you'd give me some input.  This is your wedding too, you know."  

      She still had not looked at him, and Sage felt a sudden, irrational surge of anger.  "Oh, so _now_ you decide this is my wedding too?  And here I thought I was just another accessory, like your shoes or your veil," he said sarcastically.  "You know, Carey, sometimes I think you care more about this wedding than you do about the guy you're actually marrying."

      Carey looked up sharply.  "Sage, that is _so_ not fair.  I have been asking you for your opinion since the very beginning, but lately you don't seem to want to have much to do with this.  Do you remember our conversation about the caterers yesterday, when I asked you what you wanted on the reception menu?" she asked before he could reply.  "Your exact words were, and I quote, 'They can serve meatloaf and french fries for all I care'.  You sat through the premarital session but I know it was just a huge joke to you.  Every time I try to get you involved in this wedding you act like it's a big fat waste of your time," she accused.

      "Maybe that's because it is," Sage retorted.  "I still don't know why we have to do all this anyway.  Why couldn't we just get married quietly, why do we have to have this big elaborate show?"

      "Because you're the future head of your family and I'm an only child, remember?" Carey said.  "Our parents expect us to be married with a certain degree of formality.  Count your blessings, _mi amor_ --- we only have sixty guests and we managed to talk your parents into one ceremony and a simple buffet reception.  I think your grandfather is still fuming that we opted out of the Shinto ceremony."

      "It's not their wedding.  It's ours."

      "Sage, remember what Cye said?  It's only one day," Carey pleaded tiredly.  "It won't kill us to make our families happy by having a formal wedding.  Who knows, it might even make them a little more amenable to the fact that we're getting married in the first place."

      "What do you mean by that?"

      Carey shoved her hair back from her face.  "Well, it's common knowledge that your grandfather isn't too thrilled about the idea of a Cuban-American granddaughter-in-law.  And while my parents are happy that I'm finally getting married and won't wind up an old spinster, they have their reservations about the fact that my future husband not only lives in Japan but is a blonde, blue-eyed, half-Japanese _gringo _to boot.  They always hoped that I'd come home and marry a nice Latino boy."

      Sage stared at her.  "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

      "What good would it have done?  It wouldn't change the way I feel about you and it would have only made you feel even more pressured.  Sage, it's not that my folks don't like you or that they're opposed to our marriage.  But they had other plans for me, just like your family did for you, and now they have to come to terms with the fact that those plans just aren't going to happen."  Carey sighed heavily.  "Honey, please, let's not fight over this."

      "We're not fighting," Sage replied stubbornly.  "We're having a difference of opinion."

      "Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, love," Carey said wryly.

      "Doesn't that song end, 'Let's call the whole thing off'?"

      Carey went very still.  "Is that what you want?"

      Sage gave a short, humorless laugh.  "Like we have a choice.  You have family coming from Miami, I have relatives coming from Los Angeles, not to mention the people that are already here.  It's not as if we can just call them all and say we changed our minds."

      "That's not what I asked you," Carey said quietly.

      Sage's shoulders drooped.  "No," he replied softly.  "I _want_ to marry you…I love you.  It's just…it's been a really rough couple of days.  My head hurts, I feel like I've been trampled by a herd of elephants, and I'm so tired and confused I can't even think straight," he finished helplessly.

      "My poor wounded sweetheart."  Carey reached out and smoothed his golden hair away from his forehead.  "Kento really flattened you, didn't he?  I was wondering if you'd ever get the grass out of your hair, and I have a feeling your clothes are a total loss."  She took his bandaged hand in hers and kissed it gently.  "Are you sure you're okay?"

       "I'll live," Sage reassured her.  "Just remind me to stand well back the next time the 'Human Wrecking Ball' gets stuck behind a locked door."  He traced a finger along the side of her face.  "Carey, I'm sorry I snapped at you, _koibito_.  I shouldn't be taking my rotten mood out on you."

      "It's all right, honey.  It's late; we're both tired and on edge and we're saying things we'll regret later.  Let's get some sleep, and I'm sure things will look better in the morning," Carey replied.  "I just hope we didn't wake Rowen with our little 'difference of opinion'."

      Sage chuckled.  "Darling, Rowen can sleep through Armageddon when he's perfectly healthy.  Add injury, a long day, and a couple of painkillers to that and Rowen won't be conscious until sometime late tomorrow afternoon.  Which means," he added suggestively as he slipped into bed beside her, "we don't have to worry so much about making a little noise."

      "I thought you were tired."

      "Tired, yes.  Dead, no."

      "Hmmm," Carey murmured as Sage kissed her shoulder.  "You're really worried about him."

      "Who?" Sage murmured absently, apparently more interested in toying with the strap of her camisole.

      "Rowen.  You love him, don't you?" Carey asked casually.

      "Not the way I love you," Sage replied, nuzzling her neck.  "Rowen is my best friend and he's like the brother I never had and yes, I'm concerned about his safety.  I'm also _extremely _glad that he's a very sound sleeper and can we please talk about something else now?" he pleaded.

      "Okay.  Did you have anything special you wanted in the wedding programs --- a favorite quote or something?" Carey said with a straight face.       

      Sage groaned.  "Later, Carey."

      " 'Later'?"  Carey raised an eyebrow.  "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Shakespeare or the Rubayyat."

      Sage took the papers from her hands, setting them on the bedside table.  "_Later_," he repeated firmly, then softly added, "Please?"

      Carey gazed into those beseeching amethyst eyes and smiled tenderly.  "Later," she agreed, and turned out the light.

      Kento felt as if he'd aged a hundred years in one night.  Muscles he hadn't even known he had screamed in pain as he slowly climbed the stairs to his family's apartment over the restaurant.  His lungs still stung from the smoke he had inhaled, and he wondered if he'd ever get the smell out of his clothes.  But more than that, his mind was still reeling from the events of the night.

      _Ryo was in that shed with me when it caught fire.  I know he was.  And there's no way he could have gotten past me after the fire started, not without me noticing.  So why didn't the firefighters find him?  Why did he start that fire in the first place?_  _And if he _did _get out, where the heck is he now?  _He sighed as he walked into the darkened living room.  _This just keeps getting weirder and weirder._

"Kento?  Is that you?" a voice called from the shadows, and Kento froze, ready to fight.  He was still in fighting stance when his mother turned on the light.  She blinked mildly at the sight of her oldest child standing there with his fists up.  "Is something wrong?" she asked.

      Kento sagged, relieved.  "Oh…hi, Mom.  I didn't wake you up, did I?"

      "No, I was waiting for you," Mama Layfang replied.  She frowned as she got a good look at her dirty, bruised, and disheveled son.  "And perhaps it was a good thing I did.  Whatever you've been doing, it wasn't playing baseball."  She sniffed the air.  "You smell like a bonfire.  What on earth have you been up to?"

      "Oh, there was a little problem after the game…some goof set the equipment shed on fire, nothing big," Kento said, grinning awkwardly, trying not to alarm her.  "But hey, my kids won!  Five to two --- heck of a game, Mom.  I'm real proud of those kids," he rambled, hoping to avoid any more questions.  "You know, Mom, it's awful late.  I'm home and in one piece, so why don't you go on to bed and get some rest?"

      Mama Layfang was not buying his act for a second.  "You come home well after dark, covered in dirt and soot and smelling like smoke, with a bandage on your face, and you think you can just gloss it over and make me think nothing's wrong?  Oh, no, you don't, Kento Layfang.  Sit down while I get the first-aid kit, and then you're going to tell me the whole story."

     "Aw, Mom," Kento groused.  "I'm too big for you to fuss over me."

      Mama smiled.  "Kento-chan, no matter how big you get, you will never be too big for your mother to fuss over you.  Now sit.  I want to make sure those cuts don't get infected."

      Kento sighed, knowing he was beaten.  "Yes, Mama."

      Later that night, scrubbed so clean he almost squeaked and with Mama's antiseptic still stinging a bit, Kento sat on the edge of his bed and looked around the room --- the same room he'd had pretty much all his life, he thought with a sudden feeling of hopelessness.  Oh, yeah, some things had changed --- his college diploma hung on the wall, lovingly framed by Papa Layfang, and there were books on the shelves that actually weren't comic books --- but it was still the same room he'd lived in for nearly twenty-four years, and suddenly the knowledge of that depressed him to no end.

      _What's wrong with me?_ he wondered.  _Why am I still here, still doing the same thing I did back in high school?  The other guys have moved up and moved on…they have interesting lives and beautiful girlfriends and homes of their own.  None of _them_ still live at home with their parents.  _He frowned, not liking the sudden sting of --- envy? resentment? --- that pricked at him.  _Well, it's not their fault I'm stuck in this rut.  But why can't I seem to get out of it?_

      His eye fell on a manila envelope that sat on his desk --- information he had requested some time ago about applying to the police academy.  He hadn't even opened it yet.  _Tomorrow,_ he told himself firmly.  _Tomorrow I'll look at it and see what I need to do.  Then I'll do it._  Feeling much better, he turned out the light and climbed into bed.  _How hard can it be?  I want my life to change, I have to make a start somewhere.  And tomorrow, I will._

      But he didn't.

      Four days later, Sage sat at his desk, trying to concentrate on a proposal for a new exhibit and failing spectacularly.  His mind kept skipping back to the events of the past weekend --- Rowen's accident, Kento's near-barbecuing, Ryo's disappearance.  And it was still getting stranger, he mused.  He had asked his father to let him know when the final report on the park fire was released, even though he had an feeling he already knew what it was going to say.  He had watched the fire investigators at the park that night, and they had been thorough.  If they said there was no sign of a body in the rubble of the shed, then he was inclined to believe them.  Not only that, he thought, but there was the little matter of the psychic connection between the Ronins.  It had faded slightly in the past seven years, but it was still there, enough to let him sense that Rowen had been in danger.  But he had not felt Ryo's death.  

      In fact, if the truth be known, he had not even felt _Ryo_, he thought with a sudden frown.

      Sage sighed deeply.  Actually, it had been a strange weekend all around.  In an effort to mend his fences with Carey, Sage had agreed to work on wedding details with her through most of Sunday.  But try as he might, Sage just could not muster up any real enthusiasm for menus and color schemes and what they wanted played for their first dance --- in fact, the whole thing left him feeling weirdly chilled, as if someone had turned the air conditioning up too high.  And then Rowen and Carey had begun acting rather awkwardly around each other, although to be honest Sage couldn't really blame either of them.  Rowen had to be feeling a bit like a fifth wheel, stuck in an apartment with two people who were obviously in love and planning their wedding.  And Sage had to admit, as much as he cared about Rowen and wanted to keep him out of danger, having your best friend underfoot did tend to put a damper on certain…romantic inclinations.  Rowen had left on Tuesday afternoon, having had the locks on his house changed and promising that he would call them if he needed any help.  Sage was embarrassed by how relieved he had been to see Rowen go. 

      A sharp knock on his door brought him abruptly back to the present.  "Sage, did you find the list of items from the Yoshimura estate?" Matsuka asked.

      Sage looked up from the jumble of paperwork on his desk.  "I thought I gave that to you this morning."

      "I thought you did, too," Matsuka replied with a wry smile, chidingly waving a small sheaf of papers at him.  "But somehow I don't think we bought duck teriyaki and chorizo from that estate sale."

      "Oh."  Sage flushed, chagrined.  "You know, I was wondering why the caterers were listing handpainted screens and an 18th-century tea set as menu options."

      Matsuka chuckled.  "Carey's got you making decisions now, does she?"

      Sage grimaced as he handed her the correct list.  "That's all we've been doing for the past three days.  Menus, flowers, music, etcetera.  Makes me wish we were both orphans, then we could just elope and be done with it.  Actually, I have to hand it to Carey --- she asked me very nicely if I would 'mind' taking the menu with me and making a decision on it.  But I know an order when I hear one." 

      "You poor thing," Matsuka mocked gently.  "Cruelly forced to participate in planning your own wedding."

      "Yeah, you think it's funny," Sage grumbled.  "But you know, I figured it all out.  We've planned on about four hours for this wedding, from the start of the ceremony to the end of the reception.  So far we've spent eight months putting this thing together.  The actual marriage vows will take about fifteen minutes.  Am I the only one who thinks that's a little bit nuts?" he wondered. 

       "Look on the bright side, Sage.  Your wedding, from what you've told me, is going to be a relatively simple affair.  At least nobody's insisting on six-foot-tall ice sculptures, a full string orchestra, or thirty white doves to be released as you and Carey leave the church."

      "Yet," Sage replied glumly.

      "Get over it, Date.  It's only one day."

      "You're the third person to tell me that in the past five days," Sage said.  "But do you realize that it'll be over nine months from the day I asked Carey to marry me to the day we actually tie the knot?  _Nine months_ of planning and organizing and preparing, and all for less than twenty-four hours of the actual event."

      Matsuka raised an eyebrow.  "Yes, it's sort of like giving birth, actually.  But trust me, Sage, it's a lot easier to have a wedding than a baby --- something I'm sure the two of you will find out soon enough."  She smiled at him and left. 

      Sage barely noticed.  _A baby,_ he thought, his mind reeling with a startling, unexpected vision…a dark-haired, purple-eyed infant stretching out chubby arms to him, a tiny hand curling tightly around his finger.  The vision was so clear he was actually surprised to find that his arms were empty.  _By this time next year Carey and I could be _parents_.  Oh, my God.  _Suddenly he was very glad that he was sitting down.

      The phone rang and Sage eagerly seized the receiver, grateful for the distraction.  "Kazuhara Gallery, Sage Date speaking."

      "Sage?  It's Dad," said the voice on the other end of the line.  "The final report on that fire at the park was released this morning.  I think you might be interested in what it had to say."

      Cye scowled at his computer screen.  Because the regular tour guide had called in sick, Cye had been forced to spend the morning showing a group of bored teenagers the inner workings of the Marine Science Institute.  About the only time any of them had shown any interest was when they had discovered that banging on the thick glass of the tanks had a tendency to scare some of the more skittish fish.  Cye had herded them all out of there before he gave into the temptation to hurl a few of them into the tanks...preferably the one with the sharks.  Then, for reasons known only to itself, the computer had decided to eat his just-finished report on the fuel spill at the Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama, the report he had spent four days typing.  And the stack of books on his desk reminded him that his thesis --- the one he needed to earn his Master's degree --- was not going to write itself.

      _I could have worked on it over the weekend_, Cye thought sullenly, and he felt a sting of resentment when he remembered why he hadn't.  It wouldn't have been so bad if he had been able to convince Emiko that he wasn't seeing anyone else and that had been the end of it.  But then the dinner she had prepared burned from being left in the oven for so long, which prompted a new flood of self-recriminations about how she was such a terrible cook (which she _was_, Cye thought uncharitably) and she couldn't do anything right, not even fix a simple meal to try and make things a little easier for him, and what did he ever see in someone as hopeless as her?  Maybe he _should_ find someone else, Emiko had sniffled, and so he had had to try and reassure her that she wasn't a failure, that he really loved her and would she please stop crying, it wasn't that bad and he wasn't terribly hungry anyway.  Which of course had started her crying even more because now he was upset with her and so forth and so on, until finally he had taken her to bed to show her just how much he loved her…something that might have worked better if he hadn't fallen asleep in the middle of nuzzling her neck.  It had taken him until Sunday night to placate her, but she finally left chirping and happy and making him promise to call her soon.  

      He sighed unhappily and leaned back in his chair.  _Why is it that all the time I spend with Emmy lately always ends the same way?_ he wondered.  _She leaves happy and content, and I feel like I've been put through the wringer.  What's wrong with me that sometimes I really wish she _would _leave me?  I know she loves me…why can't I be grateful for that?_

_      Of course she loves you,_ a tiny, cynical voice in his head replied.  _The same way a vampire 'loves' the person it feeds on.  That's why you always feel so drained when she leaves --- she's sucking the life out of you and you're too naïve to see it._

Cye frowned.  _That's not true.  Sure, maybe she gets a little clingy sometimes.  But Emmy's been treated badly in the past…she seems to have a history of dating guys who use her and then dump her.  _

_      So you have to spend your life atoning for the sins of her past boyfriends?  If she loves you so much, why does she use you the way she does?_

_      She doesn't 'use' me.  She came over the other night for my sake, to try and give me a break._

The cynical little voice laughed scornfully.  _Sure she did.  She knew you were tired, that you had a lot on your mind.  But did she ask you about it even once?  Did she even notice that you were hurt, apart from complaining about how late you were and how awful you looked?  Who did the evening _really_ end up being about?  Give you a hint --- it wasn't you._

_      Stop it,_ Cye ordered the voice.  _Emmy loves me.  I know she does.  And I love her._  The voice didn't reply, and Cye felt better.  _There's a lot going on right now, and it's confusing as hell.  That's why I'm feeling so out of sorts with Emmy.  Once we get this whole thing with Ryo figured out, then things will be fine,_ Cye told himself firmly.

      So why didn't he quite believe it?

      The phone rang suddenly, and Cye answered it.  "Hello?"

      "Cye?  It's Sayoko."

      Cye's spirits lifted instantly at the sound of his older sister's voice.  "Sayoko?  God, it's good to hear from you.  How is everything?"  A sudden worry struck him.  "Nothing's wrong, is it?  Is Mum all right?"

      Sayoko Mouri Shizuka laughed softly at her brother's concern.  "Stop worrying, Cye, everything's fine.  I just haven't spoken to you in a long while and thought I'd call to see how you were doing.  I figured I had a better chance of reaching you at work than at your home."

      "Probably a good idea," Cye agreed.  "I don't seem to spend a whole lot of time at home lately.  So how is Mum?"

      "Doing as well as can be expected," Sayoko replied.  "She hasn't had any bad spells for a while, and her doctor is cautiously pleased.  She misses you, though."

      Cye felt a stirring of guilt.  "I miss her, too," he said softly.  "I really should come home sometime to see everyone, but I've just been so busy."

      "It's all right," Sayoko reassured him.  "Mum understands how important getting your Master's degree is to you.  She's really proud of you, you know.  She brags about you all the time," she teased.

      Cye was glad his sister couldn't see him blushing.  "Is Mum there?  Can I speak to her?"

      "Actually, she's resting right now.  She tires a lot more easily these days.  I'll tell her I spoke to you, though.  Oh, and Ryuusuke and the kids send their love."  Ryuusuke was Sayoko's husband.  "Chiako and Kenji want to know when their Uncle Cye is going to take them swimming again.  But, Cye --- if you introduce them to any more whales, I swear I'll kill you," Sayoko threatened, making Cye laugh.  By the time he finished talking to Sayoko, Cye felt more cheerful than he had in days.  He promised her that he would make a visit home as soon as he could and hung up, then returned to his work with a smile on his face.

      Two hours later, Cye had managed to restore most of his report when the phone rang again.  "Cye, it's Sage," said the voice on the other end.  "I just got a call from my dad.  The report on that fire at the park was released today."

      Cye was suddenly alert.  "What did it say?"

      "What we knew already --- there was no body in the rubble.  As far as the fire investigators can tell, Kento was alone in the shed the whole time."

      "But that's not possible," Cye protested.  "Kento said he heard Ryo.  And that fire didn't just start by itself, Sage."

      "Well, that's another interesting thing…because according to this report, that's exactly what happened."

      "What?"

      "There were no traces of accelerants, nothing that could have started the fire," Sage replied.  "And it wasn't an electrical fire, either --- the point of origin was against the back wall, far away from any electrical wiring.  It's as if the wall just spontaneously combusted."

      Cye was silent for a moment.  "Sage…this is getting very weird."

      "I know.  And something tells me it's going to get even weirder.  Can you come over to my place tonight around six?  I'm going to call Rowen and Kento and see if I can get them over too.  We need to talk about this, and I'd rather not try to teleconference.  Carey has a late rehearsal, so we should be finished before she gets home."

      "Is that a good idea, keeping her in the dark like this?  She already knows Ryo's missing and apparently stalking the rest of us.  Don't you think she's worried?" 

      Sage gave a small, cynical laugh.  "Right now Carey has her hands full with planning this wedding, not to mention rehearsals and performances.  I think Ryo is the least of her worries at this point."

      Cye did not like the tone of his friend's voice.  "Sage, I really think you underestimate her sometimes," he said cautiously.  "If nothing else, I'm sure she's concerned for your safety.  Do you remember what Rowen said at the hospital --- that Ryo had said something about the armors having 'made' us?  Have you thought that maybe this is why Ryo is going after us now?  And if it is, don't you think you should tell her the truth about the armors now, before this whole thing gets out of hand?"

      "I'll deal with that later," Sage said, and Cye knew it was useless to try and persuade him.  "Right now we have to decide what to do about Ryo.  See you at six, then?"

      "I'll be there," Cye agreed, and Sage hung up.  Cye gazed thoughtfully at the receiver for a moment before replacing it in its cradle.  While none of them wanted to relive the dark days of their armored past, Sage's adamant refusal to even discuss the armors had Cye concerned --- especially his insistence on keeping the secret from the woman he was about to marry.  You didn't have to be a psychic to see that that would lead to trouble, Cye mused worriedly.  But he knew full well that Sage would not appreciate his interference in this, so he would just have to keep his own counsel…and hope he was far away when the fireworks went off.

      And speaking of fireworks…Cye frowned as he mulled over Sage's report.  If the fire inspectors were right --- and he had no reason to believe they weren't --- the fire that had nearly incinerated Kento had not been started by normal means.  Add to that Ryo's apparently miraculous escape from the flames and his abrupt disappearance, not to mention the bizarre "accident" that had almost killed Rowen, and it led Cye to a conclusion he had not had to think about in seven years.  A conclusion he did not like one bit.

      _Could it be…is it possible that we're dealing with a supernatural force here?  But why now, after all this time?  We haven't worn the armors in years --- they aren't even the same ones we started with.  These armors aren't from Talpa's body; they have no connection to his evil.  We don't even have the Inferno Armor anymore.  We've just been living normal, everyday lives, free of any kind of magic or mysticism.   So what would a supernatural being want with us _now_?  Even Suzunagi didn't wait seven years.  _Cye shook his head with a deep sigh.  Trying to figure it all out by himself would only be an exercise in futility.  He would just have to wait and see what the others thought.

      When he arrived at Sage's apartment building that evening, Sage was just walking up to the door.  "I had a late meeting," Sage said by way of explanation.  "Rowen and Kento should get here any minute now."

      "Well, in that case, why don't we just wait for them here?" Cye suggested.  "It'll save you having to buzz them in when they arrive."  Sage agreed, and the two settled down in the lobby to wait.

       After a moment, Cye said, "Sage, I know we've been over this before, but I have to say I don't like the idea of you keeping Carey out of the loop on this."

      Sage sighed.  "I know.  But Carey and I have enough stress dealing with this wedding coming up.  Telling my bride-to-be that I used to be a mystical warrior for the forces of good isn't going to help matters any.  Besides, the armors are a thing of the past.  Is it too much to ask that we leave them there?" he asked.

      Cye started to reply, but a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.  He turned his head to see what had distracted him --- and froze.  "Sage," he muttered warningly.  Sage followed Cye's gaze and his own eyes widened.

      Ryo stood at the door to the stairwell.

      For a moment the three men just stood there staring at each other.  Then Ryo gave them a mocking smile and went into the stairwell.  "How did he get in here?" Sage wondered.

      "Never mind that now," Cye replied.  "Stay here and wait for Rowen and Kento.  I'm going after him."

      "Cye, wait," Sage protested as he followed Cye across the lobby.  "You know he's dangerous.  You can't go alone."

      Cye yanked open the heavy door to the stairs, looking first up, then down.  Ryo stood one flight below him, gazing up with that same cool smile.  Then he turned and slowly began to descend the stairs as Cye and Sage watched.  "Damn him, he's waiting for me," Cye muttered incredulously.

      "He's headed for the basement," Sage noted.  "Cye, don't do this.  He's up to something." 

      "Sage, there's no time.  We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else, and this may be our best chance."  Cye headed for the stairs.  "As soon as the guys get here, come after me." 

      "Cye --- " Sage argued, but Cye was already lost to view.  Sage shook his head with a sigh.  "Be careful," he said quietly.

      Cye tore down the stairs to the basement, wondering how Ryo had managed to find them.  _It's as if he was waiting for us, as if he knew we'd be here.  But how?_  A brief, disloyal thought flashed through his mind --- Sage had set up this meeting.  Could Sage have somehow tipped Ryo off?  No, that was ridiculous.  Sage had been every bit as surprised as he himself was.  Or perhaps Ryo had been waiting for _Sage_, perhaps the blonde swordsman had been his next target.  In which case, Cye mused grimly, Ryo was going to get a lot more than he had bargained for.

      He emerged from the stairwell into the basement area of the building.  Cye had to hand it to Sage and his bride --- they had done quite well for themselves.  Where most apartment buildings would just have storage space and maintenance equipment in the basement, Sage and Carey's building had a small gym and an indoor pool, something that Cye supposed came in handy for a _kendo_ master and a ballerina, two people who prided themselves on being in top physical shape.  Of course, Sage had explained wryly, it meant that they had to rely on an outside storage facility for anything big, but there were trade-offs to everything.  

      Cye looked warily around him.  It was silent and there was no one else in sight, which struck him as odd.  It was just after six in the evening…there should be people down here.  He tried the door to the gym; it was locked.  But the door to the pool stood invitingly open.  _So that's his game,_ Cye thought, his lips tightening.  _Very well, Ryo, if that's how you want it._  He squared his shoulders and walked into the pool area.

      The lights were dim and the only sounds Cye heard were the soft lap of water against tile and the faint echo of his own footsteps.  He scanned the shadows for any sign of Ryo.  He didn't see anyone, but somehow he knew he wasn't alone.  "I know you're here," he said to no one in particular, his voice sounding surprisingly loud in the silence.  "Come out and show yourself."  No answer.  "You brought me down here for a reason, Ryo," Cye tried again.  "What do you want from me?  Why are you doing this?"  Nothing.  "Ryo?"

      The blow came out of nowhere, catching him across the back and sending him sprawling.  Cye hit the ground and instinctively rolled, leaping quickly to his feet to face his attacker.  "Ryo?" he yelled.  "Come out and face me, Ryo.  What are you afraid of?"

      The lights flickered and dimmed even further, until all Cye could see were shadows.  His sea-blue eyes widened automatically, trying to let in as much light as possible until they adjusted, and that was when the second blow slammed into his shoulder with a force sufficient to knock the wind out of him.  His ankle twisted beneath him and he fell heavily onto the cool tile, the impact echoing off the walls.  Cye winced as he struggled to stand, frantically scanning the gloom for any sign of his assailant.  A third blow smashed into his jaw, snapping his head around and sending him flying into a stack of chairs with a tremendous crash.

      Cye lay dazed amid the tangled heap of metal and plastic, trying furiously to blink the stars out of his vision, and that was when he heard it --- a low, menacing chuckle that turned his blood to icy sludge.  "Ryo?" he whispered painfully.  

      Ryo emerged from the shadows, a cruel smile on his face.  "You fool," he said, almost conversationally.  "What's that saying you have?  Ah, yes…curiosity killed the cat."  The smile widened.  "Or, in this case, the fish."

      "Ryo, please, stop it," Cye pleaded.  He tried to get up, but fell back with a gasp of pain.  "Why are you doing this?  What's happened to you?"

      "You're afraid of me, aren't you?" Ryo asked pleasantly.  "You should be.  You're the reason I'm here, you and your friends.  I've waited a long time for this."  He advanced on Cye, still smiling coldly.

      Cye managed to drag himself backward on his elbows until he was against the wall.  "Ryo, no.  You don't want to do this.  You're not well."  _Where the bloody hell are Sage and the others?_ he wondered frantically.  _If I can just keep him talking until they get here…_"Ryo, please…let us help you.  It doesn't have to be like this.  We all care about you, and we want to help you, but you have to trust us," he stammered.  _Damn it, Sage, get your perfectly-tailored ass down here already!_

      Ryo laughed softly.  "Cye of Torrent, whose virtue is Trust," he said smoothly.  In two strides he had caught up to Cye, looming menacingly over his injured friend.  Cye froze as Ryo reached down and caught his chin in one hand, almost gently turning Cye's face up so that he stared directly into Ryo's china-blue eyes.  Ryo's voice was almost caressing as he continued, "You should know better, little fish --- sometimes trust can be fatal."

      "Ryo, no --- " Cye cried, but his words ended abruptly in a strangled gasp as Ryo's hand closed on his throat.  Then, to his shock, Ryo picked him up and slammed him against the wall, holding him aloft so that Cye's feet were a good twelve inches off the floor.  Cye kicked and struggled, clawing at Ryo's wrist.  A flailing foot connected with Ryo's leg with a solid _thunk_, but Ryo didn't even flinch.  He just continued to smile cruelly, holding Cye up as if he weighed nothing at all.  Cye looked into Ryo's eyes, searching for some remnant of sanity or kindness, some shred of the friend he knew.  Then he saw a gleam of red deep within the blue eyes, and suddenly he _knew_.  "You're not Ryo," he choked.  "Who are you?  _What_ are you?!"

      The Ryo-thing chuckled, a sound like the rattle of bones in a long-abandoned crypt.  "So, you've figured it out, Cye of Torrent.  I wondered which one of you would be the first to realize the truth.  And now you want to see my true face?  Very well, but remember --- be careful what you wish for," it hissed.  As Cye watched in helpless horror, Ryo's face shifted, darkened, lengthened; the cold smile became a row of sharp, gleaming teeth and the wide blue eyes slanted and turned blood-red.  The hand on his throat became stone-hard and he could feel talons digging into his skin.  When the transformation was complete, a scale-covered, gaunt-featured demon stood before him, grinning viciously.  Cye would have screamed if he could have gotten any air into his constricted throat.

      The…_creature_ laughed at Cye's terror, baring razor-sharp fangs.  "What's the matter, little fish?  Do I frighten you?" it taunted him in a voice that seemed to echo from the very depths of hell.  The crimson eyes glowed luridly for a moment, and the demon's smile widened.  "Ahhh, yes…I can taste your fear, as well as your power.  You'll give me quite a feast."

      "No…" Cye moaned, fighting to draw a full breath.  Small black spots were beginning to dance across his vision.  "Where is…Ryo?  What have…you…done with him?" he gasped.

      The demon emitted that horrible chuckle again.  "He's well enough for now, Torrent.  Right now he feeds me, makes me grow stronger.  But he won't last forever.  And when I've finished with Ryo of Wildfire, I'll collect the rest of you."

      "Never!" Cye managed.  The demon's hand tightened on his throat, closing off his windpipe even more.  The claws sliced into his skin and he felt blood trickle down his neck.  He couldn't focus his eyes now, and the black spots were growing larger.  "We won't…surrender…to you!"

      "You won't have a choice," the demon snarled.  "Little by little the four of you grow weaker while my strength increases.  Do you really think you can stand up to me when I reach my full strength?  Soon you will all be mine.  But fight me if it makes you feel better, Cye of Torrent.  Each defeat only prepares you for me and makes you worthy of my hunger."  

      The words, heard as if from the end of a long tunnel, barely registered in Cye's oxygen-starved brain.  His struggles became increasingly feeble as the world turned gray and indistinct.  He had time for one last thought --- _Ryo, I'm sorry_ --- before his nerveless fingers fell away from the monster's wrist and his eyes closed.  Then there was nothing.

      The demon held its captive aloft for a moment longer.  Then, with a motion that could have been a disinterested shrug, it casually tossed the limp body into the pool and vanished in a shimmer of displaced air.  

      When it was gone, the lights flickered back on.

      "Look, I said I was sorry," Kento huffed as he, Sage, and Rowen ran down the stairs to the basement.  "It's not my fault some jerk decided to run a red light and plow into the side of a truck.  Why the hell did Cye go down here by himself anyway?  Couldn't you stop him?"

      "Short of tying him to a chair, no," Sage retorted.  "Cye is as stubborn as you are sometimes --- he just hides it better.  I only hope we're not too late."

      They emerged from the stairwell into the brightly-lit basement.  "Cye!" Rowen called.  "Cye, are you okay?"

      Kento looked around with an appraising whistle.  "Wow, Sage…a gym _and_ a pool.  You and Ballerina Barbie have really got it made."  Sage didn't answer.  "Sage?"

      Sage had gone stock still, his violet eyes wild and wary in his suddenly white face.  "Something's wrong," he said in a strange, distant voice.  He shivered faintly, then jolted himself back to reality with a quick snap of his head.  "We have to find Cye --- _now_," he said brusquely.

      "The gym's locked," Rowen reported.

      "Then that only leaves one place," Sage replied, already striding toward the pool.  "Cye --- Cye, are you in here?" he called.  There was no answer.  The three Ronins walked into the main pool area…and stopped cold.  Rowen's gasp of horror was shockingly loud in the sudden silence.

      A motionless form floated face-down in the blue chlorinated waters.

      Before Kento had even stopped cursing, Sage had stripped off his jacket and was running for the pool.  He hit the water in a fast, flat dive that carried him easily to where his friend's limp body drifted gently in the slight current.  In seconds he had Cye in a rescue hold and was swimming back to where the other two waited.

      Rowen and Kento dragged Cye onto the cool tile as Sage levered himself out of the water.  He shoved his wet hair out of his face, then looked down at the soaked ruin of his formerly immaculate outfit and swore softly in dismay.  "I am going to _kill_ Ryo for this," he muttered from between clenched teeth.

      Kento knelt beside Cye's sodden form.  "Uh --- guys?  I-I don't think he's breathing," he stammered anxiously.

      Sage cursed again and knelt beside Cye, checking his vital signs.  "I can't find a pulse," Rowen said, his midnight eyes wide.  "Sage…is he ---?"

      "You know CPR --- what are you waiting for?" Sage replied harshly.  Without waiting for a reply, he placed his hands over Cye's heart and began chest compressions as Rowen started rescue breathing.  "Kento, my cell phone's in my jacket," Sage continued after a moment, never breaking his rhythm.  "Call an ambulance --- we might need it."

      Kento jumped to his feet and headed for Sage's discarded jacket.  But he hadn't gone more than three steps when Cye suddenly gasped and began to choke violently, coughing up water, his body convulsing.  Rowen turned him on his side and gently rubbed his back until the spasms quieted.

      When he could breathe again, Cye opened his unfocused turquoise eyes and blinked slowly up at his friends.  "Is it gone?" he mumbled fuzzily.

      Carey hummed softly to herself as she crossed the lobby of her apartment building.  Sage was going to be surprised, she thought, smiling.  She was supposed to have been in a rehearsal until almost eight, but the choreographer had called in sick and the rehearsal had been canceled, which suited Carey just fine.  Things had been rather difficult over the past few days, what with Ryo's disappearance and the bizarre "accidents" that had befallen Rowen and Kento.  And while she liked Rowen, sharing her home with him for three days had been kind of awkward.  Then, of course, there was Sage himself.  He had tried to be a good sport and get involved with the wedding details, but she sensed that his heart wasn't really in it...and in all fairness she really couldn't blame him, Carey thought guiltily.  One of his dearest friends in the world was missing, another had been seriously hurt and a third had narrowly escaped a fiery death, and she was insisting that he worry about something as frivolous as the color of the wedding programs.  

      _Well, not tonight,_ she thought firmly as she pressed the button for the elevator.  _Tonight I intend to spend some quality time with my man.  No wedding plans, no missing friends, no accidents, no weirdness.  Just a quiet, relaxing evening alone with my overworked sweetheart.  _The elevator dinged as it arrived at the lobby.  _Is that too much to ask?_

      Carey stepped onto the elevator…and stopped dead at the sight that greeted her.  _Apparently, it is._

      "Hi, honey.  Uh --- you're home early," Sage said with a studied nonchalance, as if it was nothing unusual for him to be walking around fully dressed and soaking wet.

      "Rehearsal was canceled," Carey replied slowly, trying to somehow make sense of this outlandish apparition.  Her proper, mannerly, and somewhat vain fiancé was calmly standing there in the waterlogged wreck of what had once been an expensively-tailored suit, supporting a dazed, battered, and equally drenched Cye and flanked on either side by a chagrined-looking Rowen and Kento.  Carey looked from one to the other of them in utter disbelief, then shook her head and sighed.

      "I can't _wait_ to hear this one explained," she said dryly.

***********************************************************************************************

_mi amor:_ Spanish, "my love".

_gringo:_ Spanish, colloquial for "foreigner".

_chorizo:_ A Spanish dish; spicy pork sausage seasoned with garlic.


	7. My Enemy's Face

Heart of Darkness By Icewyche 

**Chapter Six: My Enemy's Face**

      Carey pressed a steaming cup of tea into Cye's hands, gently wrapping his fingers around the warm ceramic.  "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.  Cye managed to drag himself from his stupor long enough to give her a weak half-smile and a slight nod, and Carey frowned in concern.  Even though he was dried off, dressed in some of Sage's clothes --- his sodden ones were in the dryer --- and wrapped in a warm blanket, Cye just couldn't seem to stop shivering.  He seemed to be in shock, and Carey couldn't blame him.  She hadn't gotten the full story out of the others yet, but she had heard enough to guess that Ryo had struck again, this time nearly drowning Cye.  Of course, she still didn't know why Cye, Rowen, and Kento were here in the first place, but she had to admit that she was glad they were.  If Sage had been alone when Ryo came looking for him…Carey shivered.

      "Honey, what's wrong?" Sage asked quietly, seeing her shudder. 

      "Hmmm?  Oh, I'm okay," Carey replied with a tiny, embarrassed laugh.  "It's just…I'm glad it wasn't you."  Sage smiled faintly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a quick hug.

      "Oh, _that's_ a nice sentiment.  Makes the rest of us feel _real_ good," Kento said sarcastically.

      "Don't push it.  You have yet to explain why any of you are even here," Carey shot back.  "I came home early hoping for a quiet evening alone with my fiancé, and instead I get not only the three of you but the aftermath of another Ryo attack, this time practically on my own doorstep.  And somehow I get the feeling there's more to this than what you're all telling me.  So you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little less than hospitable right now."

      "Carey, Kento, that's enough," Sage interjected sharply as Kento opened his mouth to reply.  "We have more important things to worry about right now than your bickering.  Ryo obviously survived that fire and now he's struck again.  We need to find a way to stop him before he actually succeeds in killing one of us."

      "Speaking of the fire, Sage, you haven't told us what the report said," Rowen spoke up.  "We already guessed that Ryo had made it out, but what else was there that you didn't want to talk about over the phone?"

      Sage shot a glance at Carey and started to speak, but she quickly forestalled him.  "Whatever you found, you can share it with me just as easily as you can with them," she said quietly but firmly.  "This affects me, too, Sage.  Cye was almost killed tonight --- what if it had been you?  How long before it _is_ you?  Something is obviously very wrong here, and I think I have a right to know what it is."

      "I just didn't want to get you involved," Sage replied.  "I figured you had enough on your mind dealing with the wedding."

      "If Ryo gets hold of you there may not be a wedding," Carey reminded him.  "Besides, I'm already involved with this --- I have been ever since we found Rowen hurt last Friday.  Now tell me the truth, Sage.  Don't try to shield me anymore."

      Sage sighed, but he didn't try to argue with her.  "According to the fire inspectors' report, there was no trace of another person in that shed, not even remains," he told the group.  "There was also nothing to indicate how the fire started…no accelerants, no electrical problems, nothing so much as a discarded cigarette.  It's as if it just sprang up on its own."

      "Spontaneous combustion?" Rowen queried dubiously.  "Sage, that's not possible."

      "I know that and you know that, but the official report seems to think differently.  Look, guys, I'm just telling you what my dad told me.  I don't like this any more than you do."

      "Is it possible they missed something?" Carey asked.

      "Possible, maybe.  Likely, no," Sage said.  "We saw them at the park, remember.  These guys are pros and they know their stuff.  If this fire had started normally they would have found some evidence of that by now."  No one could seem to think of a reply to this, and a thoughtful silence fell.

      "Man, this has gone beyond bogus," Kento suddenly burst out.  He jumped to his feet and started pacing angrily.  "It's bad enough that Ryo's apparently gone psycho and is trying to kill the rest of us.  But now he can magically start fires, escape burning sheds, and disappear without a trace?  Give me a break."

      "You have a better explanation?" Sage demanded.

      "Yeah --- somebody screwed up that investigation," Kento retorted.  "Look, it's obvious that Ryo got out, and that he started that fire.  But if these fire guys are as good as you say they are, how come they didn't find out how he did it?  And why are we always a step behind him?  Something funny's going on here, Sage!"  

      "Well, duh," Carey murmured sardonically.  Sage shot her a quelling look.

      "I know that, Kento," he replied.  "But how would you explain all this?  A cover-up?  Maybe we're all hallucinating?  Or maybe it's not even Ryo, maybe we're being hunted by some kind of supernatural entity out for revenge?"  None of them saw Cye's head come up, his eyes wide.

      Kento flung his hands up in frustration.  "Okay, fine…I _can't_ explain it.  So what?  Look, all I know is this --- Ryo is out there and he's not playing with a full deck.  And instead of doing something to stop him we're sitting around _talking_!  We have to stop talking and _do_ something, and we have to do it _now_!" he exhorted, banging his fist on a table for emphasis and sending a stack of papers cascading to the floor.

      Rowen hastily bent to gather up the scattered papers.  "Kento, we all want to find Ryo before he does any more harm," he said patiently, placing the stack on the coffee table in front of Cye.  "But losing your temper isn't going to help.  We need to think up a plan, and we will.  But in the meantime we all just need to keep our heads and stay calm."                

      Kento snorted.  "Yeah, Rowen, it'll be _real _easy to stay calm when we're all _dead_.  Look, Ryo tried to kill you, me, and Cye.  As far as I'm concerned, that equals 'threat', and we have to take out that threat.  Right, Cye?"  Cye didn't answer.  "Cye?"

      Cye was staring at a photograph on top of the papers Rowen had rearranged.  He leaned over and picked it up with a shaking hand.  "Sage, where did you get this?" he asked quietly.

      Sage glanced at the photo Cye held.  It showed a carved mask with cavernous eyes, a gaunt face, and long, sharp teeth.  "It was taken at the gallery.  It was a South American mask that came in a couple of weeks ago."

      " 'Was'?"

      "It was broken in an earthquake we had that same day.  Fell off the table when the quake started.  Why?"

      Cye stared at the picture a moment longer, then lifted his gaze to meet Sage's.  "Because _this_ is the thing that attacked me," he said.

      Carey frowned in confusion.  "I thought _Ryo_ attacked you."

      "I thought so, too, at first.  But then he --- I don't know how else to put this --- he _morphed_ into this…this _monster_," Cye replied, waving the photograph.      

      There was silence for a moment as the other Ronins digested Cye's words.  Finally Rowen spoke up.  "Cye, are you sure?  I mean, you're still kind of shaken up, buddy," he suggested.

      "Rowen, the thing was six inches from my face," Cye replied pointedly.  "Yes, _this_ is what I saw.  _This _is what picked me up by the throat and nearly choked me to death, then threw me into the pool.  _This_ is what made these gouges on my neck --- human fingernails don't do this," he added, indicating the deep scratches on the sides of his neck.  "What is it, Sage?"

      "Cye, I don't think --- " 

      Cye cut him off.  "What _is_ it, Sage?" he asked sharply.

      Sage looked very unhappy as he explained, "It's supposed to be some sort of demon.  I don't know anything more than that --- we had someone researching it, but I haven't heard what she found yet."

      Rowen's shoulders slumped.  "A demon," he said softly.

      "Still think we need to stay calm, Rowen?" Kento asked sarcastically.  "Well, this is just great.  Other people attract losers or sluts or psychos.  _We_ attract _demons_."

      "Not just any demon," Cye replied.  The shock was wearing off, and a smoldering anger was taking its place.  "A demon that knows us.  This thing knows exactly who and what we are.  _It knows about the armors._"  

      "How is that possible?" Kento wanted to know.  "You don't think --- it's not one of Talpa's, is it?"

      "I don't know.  I doubt it, though.  Talpa's been dead for almost ten years.  No, whatever this creature is, something tells me it's a free agent.  The important thing is, this monster already has Ryo and it wants to add us to its collection."

      "What do you mean, it has Ryo?" Rowen asked.

      Cye shrugged.  "The demon said that Ryo was well enough, but that he 'fed' it, made it stronger.  I'd be willing to bet that this thing has somehow captured Ryo, which would explain his sudden disappearance."

      "So what do we do now?" 

      "We don't _do_ anything now," Sage said quickly, before Cye could reply.  "We're still not sure what we're facing, and I really don't think _now_ is the best time to discuss this," he added, with a meaningful glance at a very confused Carey.

       "What, so we just sit around and twiddle our thumbs while this thing picks us off one by one?" Kento exploded.

      "_Wait a minute!"_  The Ronins all turned to look at Carey, who was looking at them as if they had all just escaped from an asylum.  "What are you all talking about?  What armors?  Who is Talpa, and how did demons get into this conversation?  _What the hell is going on here?"_

      The guys stared at her for a moment, then Cye whirled on Sage.  "Well, Sage?" he demanded hotly.  "You said you'd deal with this 'later'.  Now it's 'later'.  It's time to tell her the truth.  Tell her who she's really marrying.  Tell her about Talpa, and the armors, and what we were.  _Tell her why this thing wants us._" 

      "Cye --- " Sage began, but Cye cut him off.

      "I warned you that this would happen," he snarled.  "I told you that all these attacks were somehow tied to the armors, and I was right, wasn't I?  But you just refuse to face the truth, even to protect your fiancée.  How can you put her in danger this way?"

      "Cye, calm down." 

      "Damn it, Sage, do you even understand what's going on here?" Cye shouted furiously, his turquoise eyes blazing.  "This is not Ryo that we're dealing with!  This is something that can take Ryo's form, something that isn't even human!  It's already come after three of us.  _You're next._  Is any of this getting through to you?"  Sage just glowered icily, and Cye went on, "I don't know what it is about the armors that has you too afraid to even discuss them, but you had better get over it right now because if you don't it could get us all killed.  Is that what you want?  Now tell Carey the truth…because if you don't tell her, I _will_."       

      "Tell me _what_?" Carey asked.  She turned to look at her fiancé.  "Sage?" she said plaintively.

      Sage glared at Cye a moment longer, then sighed and took Carey's hand.  "Honey, sit down," he said quietly.  "There's something I have to tell you…something we _all_ have to tell you." 

      They told her all of it.  Discovering the armors, the war with Talpa, the terror of Shikaisen, the earth-shattering battle with the Black Inferno in Africa, the vengeance of Suzunagi.  The demons, the horrors, the nightmares.  The seemingly endless struggle to survive, followed, at long last, by the years of peace.  It seemed to take an eternity, but finally the tale wound to an end.

      Carey sat on the couch, Sage on one side of her and Cye on the other.  She looked slowly from one face to the other.  "_Santa Maria,_" she finally managed.  "If I didn't know better I'd swear you were all on drugs or something."

      "But you do believe us?" Rowen asked hesitantly.

      "Do I have a choice?" she replied, still looking rather stunned.  "If it were just one or two of you I could pass this off as some sort of bizarre joke --- let's tell Carey an outlandish story about demons and armor and see if we can get her to fall for it.  But all four of you…and Ryo is part of this too, isn't he?"

      "He was the leader," Kento told her with rather noticeable enjoyment.  Rowen elbowed him.

      "Sweetheart, I know it sounds crazy," Sage said gently, holding Carey's hand.  "It sounded even crazier when it actually happened.  But it _did_ happen.  The Ronin Armors, the demons…all of it was real."

      Carey turned huge, bewildered golden eyes on him.  "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.  "Why did you keep this from me?  You and Rowen both said you didn't know anything about 'armors'.  Why did you lie to me?"

      Sage didn't answer, so Cye stepped into the breach.  "Carey, not even our parents know about this," he said quietly.  "The only other people who know are Mia Koji and Yuli Yamano, and that's only because they were in the middle of it with us.  We've kept the armors a secret for almost ten years."

      "I didn't ask you," Carey told him.  She turned back to Sage.  "That's why the guys are here, isn't it?  You thought I'd be in rehearsal all night and you could all discuss this without my knowing.  And that's why Cye is so mad at you.  You had no intention of telling me about any of this, did you?  _Why?_"

      "Because I couldn't," Sage answered reluctantly.  "Because you wouldn't understand."

      "And you think I understand now?" Carey demanded angrily.  "_Sangre de Dios_, Sage --- one minute I'm marrying a normal guy with normal friends, and the next thing I know I've walked into some kind of weirded-out anime series.  Demons and Nether Spirits and immortal Ancients and mystical armors that can destroy the world, not to mention the hellbeastie that seems to be stalking us now --- how the hell do I _understand_ that?"

      Sage got up and began to pace restlessly.  "Apparently you don't," he snapped.  "Damn it, Carey, this is ridiculous.  We're not Ronin Warriors anymore.  We haven't used the armors in years.  It's over and done with."

      "Really?  Well, somebody forgot to tell this…this…_thing_ that's after you," Carey accused.  "Cye and Rowen both heard it refer to those 'armors' of yours, which means that it's _not_ 'over and done with' and I think you've known that from the beginning.  Which means that you deliberately lied to me and now there's a demon after you because you used to be some sort of armored superhero --- and I can't believe we're even having this conversation," she finished incredulously.    

      Sage ran a hand through his hair in frustration.  "_This_ is why I didn't tell you, Carey," he replied bitterly.  "Because you'd make a big deal out of it and it would ruin everything.  You can't understand what we went through.  Besides, why should I bring up something that's been over for seven years?"

      "Sage, take it easy," Cye warned, but Carey suddenly stared at her fiancé with growing comprehension.

      "Wait…wait a minute," she said slowly.  "_This_ is your big secret?  _This_ is what you've been hiding from me all this time?"

      All four Ronins turned to look at her.  "What are you talking about?" Sage asked.

      "I'm talking about whatever it was that you and Rowen were discussing last weekend.  The thing you said you could never tell me about because it would destroy our relationship, remember?  I wouldn't understand about you or what you did.  The thing that Rowen told you was real and you couldn't forget it?  _That thing?"_

      Sage's eyes widened in outrage.  "You were eavesdropping!"

      "I was not.  You left the door open and I overheard you," Carey defended herself.  "Good God, Sage, all of that was about some mystical armors?  I thought --- "  She stopped suddenly, biting her lip.

      "You thought what?" Sage asked.  "What did you think I meant?"  

      Carey stared at the floor, chewing on her lip and blushing painfully.  "Nothing," she replied almost inaudibly.

      "Don't lie to me.  What did you think I was talking about?"  Carey didn't reply, nor would she meet his eyes.  "Answer me, Carey Rose," Sage demanded inexorably.  "_What did you think?"_

      Carey looked as if she wanted to slide between the sofa cushions and disappear.  "I thought --- you and Rowen --- I thought you meant you had --- that you were --- you had been --- oh, _mierda," she stammered miserably._

      It took them a few moments to figure out why the normally articulate and intelligent young woman had suddenly been reduced to stumbling incoherence.  The answer hit them all at once.  Sage looked mortally offended, Rowen turned bright red, and Cye was suddenly overcome with a fit of coughing.  Kento, however, was not nearly as subtle.  "Oh, man," he guffawed.  "This is priceless.  You hear that, buddy?  She thinks you've been swinging both ways --- and with your best friend!  You know, I always _thought there was something weird about you two."_

      "Shut up, Kento," Sage snarled.  He turned on Carey.  "I can't believe it.  How could you actually think that Rowen and I were --- how could you believe that about either of us?  What in the hell were you thinking?!"

      "Don't you talk to me that way," Carey shot back.  "If you had been honest with me this wouldn't have happened.  I've suspected for a while that you've been keeping secrets from me, and I know how close you and Rowen are --- sometimes it almost seems like you're two halves of a whole, like there's something between you that I can never share.  When I overheard that it just sounded like you were talking about…something more than friendship," she finished defensively.  "What was I supposed to think?"

      "You didn't have to think _that," Sage replied with asperity._

      Cye managed to bring his choking under control and decided to try and restore some sort of order.  "Ahem --- ah, Carey, I know this all seems kind of odd to you, and I can see where you might have misunderstood," he said, trying desperately to keep a straight face.  "But you have to understand something about us.  We went through a war together when we were just teenagers.  We relied on one another for survival, because we had no one else.  And yes, it formed a strong bond between the five of us, stronger perhaps than anything on this earth.  In a way, I suppose you could say it made us brothers.  But that's all we were to one another.  There was never any kind of…_indiscretion to speak of," he added delicately.  "You and Sage had a misunderstanding, but now it's been cleared up.  Now I think you each owe the other an apology." _

      "But…but it wasn't just that conversation," Carey said unhappily.  She looked straight at Rowen.  "Rowen, do you remember the morning after the fire, when you were staying with us?"  Rowen nodded, puzzled.  Carey went on, "Sage and I were here in the living room --- we didn't think you were up yet --- and I had music on while I was practicing.  We got a little silly and were waltzing around the living room, and I happened to glance up and see you standing in the doorway."  She dropped her gaze for a moment, then faced Rowen again.  "I saw the look on your face…you looked so lost, so heartbroken, like someone you loved had rejected you.  And you were looking at Sage," she finished sadly.

      None of them would have thought it possible, but Rowen turned an even deeper red.  He just sat there for a second or two, his mouth opening and closing uselessly, then he buried his face in his hands.  "Oh, no," he groaned, shaking his head.  "Oh, no, no, no…oh, _damn it."_

      "Uh, Rowen…do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Sage asked warily.  

      Rowen groaned again and finally raised his head.  His face was as crimson as if he'd been boiled alive, making his blue hair stand out in violent contrast, and he looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  "It's not what you think," he muttered in chagrin.  "It's worse."  He took a deep breath and faced Carey like a man going to his own execution.  "Carey, what you saw that day…you've got it all wrong.  I wasn't looking at Sage --- I was looking at _you."_

      Three jaws dropped --- Kento was too busy grinning.  "You were _what?" Sage exploded.  "Rowen, please tell me I heard you wrong, that you didn't just say you were making eyes at my fiancée."_

      "No, you heard right," Rowen sighed resignedly.  "I've had a crush on Carey almost since I met her."

      Kento burst out laughing again.  "You mean you've got the hots for your best friend's bride-to-be?  Damn, Rowen, that is _twisted," he chortled happily.  "Oh, man, this just gets better and better."_

      "Shut up, Kento," Rowen retorted wearily.  To Sage and Carey he added, "I never meant to tell you, especially not like this.  I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it."

      "Not good enough," Sage snapped.

      "Stop it, Sage," Carey pleaded.  She turned beseeching eyes on Rowen.  "Rowen…please tell me you're not serious.  Please tell me this is just some sort of a joke, or the medication talking, or that you've been possessed by aliens from the Crab Nebula or…or _something.  But just don't tell me that the best friend of the man I'm about to marry is carrying a torch for me."_

      "Carey, I wish it were that simple," Rowen said gently.  "But you deserve better than an easy lie.  I care about you, I have for a long time.  You were the first woman who treated me like a normal human being, like having an I.Q. in the 200's didn't make me any different from anyone else.  You treated me with honesty and compassion and fairness and you made me feel like I was part of your family.  How could I not respond to that?  But I knew how much you and Sage loved each other, and I wasn't going to interfere in that, no matter how I felt about you."

      "So you were just going to keep nobly silent," Carey murmured numbly.

      "What else could I do?  You were in love, engaged to marry a man who adores you.  And yes, it hurts sometimes to see the two of you together.  But I know that Sage loves you in a way I'm not sure I ever could.  You two belong together.  Don't let my stupidity ruin that," he urged with a meaningful look at Sage, who just stood there in stony silence.

      Carey slumped back against the couch cushions, looking rather shell-shocked.  "Would anyone else like to jump in on this?" she asked weakly.

      "Don't look at me," Kento proclaimed.  "I don't even like you very much."

      "Shut up, Kento," Cye warned.  "Well, I suppose it's good that we've all finally unburdened ourselves, but let's concentrate on the task at hand now, shall we?  We still need to find out more about this monster we're up against, and what it's done with Ryo."

      "What about Mia?" Rowen asked eagerly, grateful for the change of subject.  "If anyone can help us, she can."

      "Good idea.  Sage, you have the picture.  E-mail it to Mia and ask her if she can find out anything," Cye instructed.  "Better yet, can you make copies of it?  That way, each of us can do some research and hopefully we'll find some answers faster."

      "Fine," Sage replied coolly.  He took the photo and went over to the computer.

      "What about the armors?" Kento asked.  "Do you think we'll need them?"

      "I hope not, but it looks like there's at least a chance," Cye said.  "Now would be a good time to find your kanji crystals and see if they still respond.  In the meantime, keep your guards up.  Now that this thing has shown its true face, it may very well escalate its attacks.  Something tells me we're running out of time --- we have to find out what this is and how to stop it, and we have to find out fast.  Ryo's life could very well depend on it."

      "And what about Sage and Carey?" Rowen said quietly.  Sage looked up sharply as Rowen went on, "Sage is the only one this demon hasn't gone after yet, and because of her closeness to him Carey could be a target as well.  The demon could decide to use her as bait."

      "I can take care of myself _and my fiancée just fine, thank you," Sage replied pointedly.  "I don't have any intention of going into hiding just because some demon has gotten loose out there.  If it wants me, it'll have to fight me all the way."_

      "And what about Carey?" Rowen demanded.  "What if it wants her?"

      "What, like you do?" Sage retorted nastily.

      "Knock it off, both of you!" Cye interrupted them.  "You can indulge in your little fits of jealousy later, but right now we have more pressing concerns.  Sage, Rowen is right.  You are in danger, and Carey even more so because she doesn't have the battle experience that you do.  We have to find some way to protect the two of you."

      "_Basta ya!  Enough!" Carey cried, leaping to her feet.  All eyes turned to her.  "What you all have to do now is go home," she said in a shaking voice.  "Please, just leave so I can try to salvage something of my engagement and my sanity." _

      "Carey…" Rowen began, but Carey cut him off, raising her hands as if to ward off a blow .

      "_No mas, Rowen," she pleaded, her eyes shimmering with barely restrained tears.  "Just…no more.  I'm sorry, I know you all mean well, but I cannot take any more of this, not tonight.  Please, all of you…just __go home," she begged, then turned and ran down the hall to the bedroom.  A moment later the door slammed, and they could briefly hear the sound of her sobs before they were muffled by her pillow._

      Sage got up to go after her, but Cye caught his arm.  "No, Sage.  Let her go for now," he said.

      Sage glowered at his friend.  "Cye, I really don't need your advice on dealing with my own fiancée.  Do I need to remind you that _you were the one who started spouting off about demons and Talpa and those goddamned armors?  If you hadn't opened your mouth none of this would have happened."_

      "Sage, I know how you feel and I can't really blame you.  But please listen to me," Cye replied gently but firmly.  "Right now Carey is very hurt, angry, and confused, and so are you.  If you confront each other now you'll wind up saying things you don't mean, things that could do irreparable harm to your relationship.  Is this how you want to start off your marriage?"

      "Thanks to you guys, there may not _be a marriage," Sage shot back.  "Do you understand now why I didn't want to tell her about our past?  I knew she wouldn't understand this; I knew it would be too much for her.  And I was right, wasn't I?"_

      "Maybe if you had told her earlier it wouldn't have been too much," Cye retorted.  "Sage, try and see this from her point of view.  She came home early expecting to have a well-deserved quiet evening alone with the man she loves.  Instead she's had to deal with all of us telling her things that under any other circumstances would be enough to have us all committed.  Demons that morph into our friend's likeness, mystical armors, teenage warriors fighting to save the world from the forces of darkness…not to mention being the center of a love triangle involving her future husband and his best friend," he added with a wry glance at a shamefaced Rowen.  "Can you blame her for being a little overwhelmed?  But she had to know the truth about us, and she had to know it now…because _that's why this demon is stalking us in the first place.  This creature didn't choose us at random.  Somehow it knows who and what we are, and that's what's drawn it to us.  And the sooner we face that the better off we'll all be."_

      "So what can we do now?" Rowen asked.

      "I think you've all done enough for one evening," Sage said tiredly.  "Carey's right, guys --- go home.  We're not accomplishing anything standing around here blaming each other.  At least now we know a little bit more about what we're facing.  I'll get in touch with Mia and see if she can tell us anything about this creature, but for now let's just call it a night."

      Cye nodded sympathetically.  "Of course.  And the sooner we each get started on our own research, hopefully the faster we'll be able to figure out how to get this demon off our backs…or our necks," he added wryly, touching the claw marks on his throat.

      "Will you be okay?" Sage asked.

      Cye smiled, knowing it was the closest Sage was going to come to an apology.  "I'll be fine," he said gently.  "I wasn't hurt badly; heaven knows I've survived worse.  Of course, I hate to think what Emmy is going to say when she sees this."

      "Just tell her you got in a fight with my cat," Rowen suggested.

      "Rowen, you don't have a cat." 

      "Emiko doesn't know that."

      Kento levered himself out of his chair, chuckling.  "Jealous girlfriends, hysterical fiancées, morphing demons and love triangles.  I gotta hand it to you guys --- demonbusting wasn't half this entertaining when we were in high school.  Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of 'The Young And The Ronins'," he intoned dramatically.

      _"Shut up, Kento!" the other three yelled in unison. _

      Mia's reply was gratifyingly swift.  Three days after the swimming-pool attack, the Ronins gathered at Cye's apartment to discuss Mia's findings.

      Kento peered at the string of _q's and __x's that stretched across the computer screen.  "Is that even a word?" he asked doubtfully._

      "According to Mia, it is," Cye replied.  "It's the name of an ancient Aztec demon…the closest translation she can get is 'Light Taker' or 'Soul Eater'.  From what she was able to find, it was some sort of shapeshifter demon that feeds on the life force of its victims."

      "Like a vampire?" Rowen wanted to know.

      "In a way, I guess.  Mia couldn't find a whole lot on this thing, but she says she'll keep looking.  Basically, this creature can take the shape of its chosen victim while it gradually drains the victim's life energies."  Cye ran a hand through his hair and sighed.  "Not much to go on, is it?"

      Rowen smiled wryly.  "Well, it's more than what we had, at least.  Now this thing has a face and a name…even if we can't pronounce it.  We just have to find out what else it has."

      "Hey, where the heck is Sage?" Kento demanded suddenly.  "Shouldn't he be here trying to help us figure this out?"

      "Sage is in Sendai," Cye said.  "He and Carey are spending the weekend with his parents and they couldn't get out of it, so he forwarded Mia's e-mail to me and asked me to fill the rest of you in on this."

      "More wedding stuff," Kento scoffed.  "I'm surprised she didn't dump him after all those little revelations the other night."

      Cye slanted a cynical glance at his friend.  "You'd like that, wouldn't you?  You know, you really seem to go out of your way to make life difficult for Carey.  Why do you dislike her so much?"

      Kento shrugged.  "It's not like I hate her or anything.  It's just that --- ever since he met her, Sage has been, I don't know, _different.  She's changed him, man," he complained._

      "Well, what did you expect?  He loves her; that would change anyone.  Personally, I think it's wonderful that Sage has found someone he can trust, someone besides us that accepts him.  I just hope they can work through this and put it behind them."

      Kento gave him a sour look.  "Cye, you're a hopeless romantic," he groused.  He glanced at his watch.  "I gotta go.  It's a Saturday night, and I know the restaurant's going to be busy."

      "Keep your guard up," Rowen reminded him.  "This demon doesn't take weekends off, you know."

      "Yeah, whatever.  Anyway, it's already hit the three of us.  It's Sage's turn."  Kento picked up his jacket.  " 'Night, guys."

      "Good night, Kento," Cye replied.  When Kento had gone, Cye leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply.  "Am I really a hopeless romantic?" he asked wistfully.

      "Kind of," Rowen replied.  "But I guess someone has to be.  So," he said, changing the subject, "what are your exciting plans for the weekend?"

      "You mean besides watching over my shoulder for soul-eating demons?  Working on my much-neglected thesis.  You?"

      "Sitting in my big empty house grading papers and desperately wishing I had a life.  Oh, yeah, and trying to figure out a way to apologize to Sage in the point-two seconds I'll have before he hangs up on me."

      Cye raised an eyebrow.  "Not speaking to you, is he?  Well, you have to admit, Rowen, blurting out that you have a crush on his bride-to-be was perhaps not the most intelligent thing to do."

      "Well, what was I supposed to do, let her go on thinking that I was gay and Sage was at the least bisexual?" Rowen defended himself.  "It's not like I was actually coming on to her or anything.  I just didn't think either one of them would take it so badly."

      "Maybe you should have fallen for my girlfriend," Cye suggested lightly.  "Emmy would probably enjoy having men fight over her."

      "Great.  So I can have you mad at me instead."  Rowen shook his head.  "No thanks.  I know you love Emiko, but I want a woman who's a little bit less…needy."

      Cye sighed.  "I know she can be clingy sometimes, but she's really a good woman at heart."

      "I'm sure she is, but…you know, this whole demon thing got me thinking.  Mia helped us when we faced Talpa, Shikaisen, and Mukara.  Carey's trying to help us now.  I don't doubt that if this 'Soul Taker' hurts Sage she'll go after it with a vengeance.  I want a woman who'd do that for me."

      "So do I," Cye replied, so softly Rowen almost didn't hear him.  He rubbed his eyes and gazed into space.  "What a mess.  Sometimes I think life was a lot easier when we were at war with Talpa."

      "Ah, yes, the halcyon days of battle, imprisonment, and terror."

      "You laugh, but I'm serious.  At least then all we had to deal with was Talpa and the warlords.  We didn't have to worry about the detritus of our personal lives as well."

      "That's because we didn't _have personal lives," Rowen pointed out wryly. _

      "Still," Cye muttered.              

      Rowen smiled sympathetically.  "Hell of a week, huh, buddy?" 

      "To say the least," Cye replied.  "I don't understand it, Rowen.  Why is this 'Light Eater' after us?  What do we have that it wants, besides armors that we haven't worn in seven years?  Why are we fighting each other instead of it?  And why the bloody _hell is all this happening __now?"_

      Rowen sighed and fingered the brace on his broken hand.  "Wish I knew.  I just hope we find out in time to get Ryo out in one piece.  I can't help but wonder, though --- what's going to happen when this thing finally meets up with Sage?"    

      Coming home had been a mistake, Sage realized as he ran through the familiar moves of the _kendo_ drills.  As soon as he walked in the door he could feel the weight of his family's name, of duty and honor and tradition and all the things he had had forced onto him as a child.  It pressed against him like a cold, leaden fog, seeping into his very bones the way the chill of night seeps into sun-warmed stone.  He could almost feel his emotional walls going back up…which would have been fine if he had been alone, but he wasn't.  His bride-to-be stood by his side, smiling and making gracious small talk with his family as if nothing was wrong, as if there wasn't a wall of tension between them as thick as a tree.  Sage had to give Carey credit --- she was a much better actress than he had realized.

      And to make matters worse, he hardly had a chance to be alone with her, to try and clear the air.  When they had arrived last night, they found themselves whisked first into dinner and then into a family gathering that had lasted almost until midnight.  Today had not begun much better.  After breakfast, he had tried to find a moment with Carey, only to find himself teaching classes in the dojo at his father's and grandfather's insistence.  Carey, meanwhile, had been swept into a whirl of wedding details by his mother and Satsuki…including an extensive lecture on the noble history of the Date family, one that would have sent a lesser woman running screaming into the hills.  At lunch he had only managed to ask her to meet him in the dojo later that evening before he was dragged off to practice under Grandfather's watchful eye.  And of course, there was still the little matter of Rowen's crush on Carey, not to mention the Ryo-demon running around wreaking havoc with his friends.  Well, Sage thought sourly, at least he had one thing to be grateful for --- Yayoi was on call at the hospital this weekend and could not make it home.  Sage was really not in the mood for a weekend full of verbal duels between his fiancée and his older sister.  He had enough problems.

      "You are not concentrating, Seiji."  His grandfather's stern voice cut into his thoughts, startling Sage from his musings.  He turned to see the old man regarding him with disapproval.

      Sage flushed slightly and bowed.  "_Sumimasen, ojii-sama_," he murmured respectfully.  "My thoughts were wandering."

      "And they should not," Masuhiro Date lectured his grandson.  "The samurai does not moon about in battle.  He is focused and alert at all times.  You should be concentrating on the task at hand, Seiji.  Nothing else is important."

      It was the same lecture he had heard ever since he first picked up a sword, but suddenly it made Sage feel very tired, as if he had been carrying a huge, unbearable weight for miles.  "What's the point, Grandfather?" he said wearily.  "We aren't samurai anymore.  The world has changed."

      "The world will always need those such as us," Masuhiro replied with an unshakable dignity.  "We of the Date have dedicated our lives to preserving honor and virtue, even when those around us would consider such things an embarrassing anachronism.  Someone has to keep the old ways alive, Seiji."

      "But why _us_?"

      Grandfather shrugged.  "If not us, then who?"  He looked closely at Sage.  "You are not happy, _magomusuko_."  It was not a question.

      "It's nothing," Sage replied.

      "Do not lie to me, Seiji.  You and your young lady are having problems, aren't you?"

      Sage ran a hand tiredly across his eyes.  "My 'young lady' is named Carey, Grandfather.  Since she's going to be your granddaughter-in-law, don't you think you could at least call her that?"

      A faint, almost sad smile crossed Masuhiro's face as he shook his head.  "Seiji, I have given my consent to your marriage.  That does not mean I have to approve of your choice."

      Any other time, Sage thought, he would have leapt immediately to Carey's defense.  But the events of the past few days had left him drained, and he found that he couldn't even muster up the strength to raise his voice.  "I've done what you wanted, Grandfather," he replied, his voice toneless.  "I've chosen a bride, someone to provide the family with heirs.  Isn't that enough?" 

      "It would have been better if you had let me choose your bride.  I would not have chosen wrongly, Grandson."

      Sage closed his eyes.  Even with the problems he and Carey were having, the thought of being trapped in a loveless marriage to a total stranger was too much to bear, and he suddenly found himself fighting back tears.  He turned away so that his grandfather would not see and despise his weakness.  "I have to spend the rest of my life with the woman I marry.  She has to be someone I can respect, trust, and honor.  Is it so unthinkable to want love, too?" he pleaded softly.

      "You think too much like your Western relatives," Masuhiro rebuked him, firmly but not unkindly.  "Love is a weakness, boy.  It fades quickly and makes you vulnerable."  Sage didn't reply, and Masuhiro continued, "The heat of young passion is short-lived, Seiji, and marriage alliances should be made to last.  Better to choose a bride with your head rather than your heart." 

      The old man sighed.  "But what's done is done," he said fatalistically.  "You have made your choice…time will tell if it was the right one."  He left the dojo, and Sage was alone with his churning thoughts.

      _Is Grandfather right?_ he wondered._  Is love nothing but a weakness?  Would I be happier if I hadn't fallen in love with Carey, if I had let my family arrange a match for me?_  Sage sighed deeply --- he knew the answer to _that_ one.  _Sometimes I think it was easier before I even knew what it meant to love._  By the time his late-night appointment with Carey rolled around, Sage was confused, irritable, and itching for a fight.

      She walked into the dojo, and Sage saw immediately that Carey was in no better a mood than he was.  "Are you okay?" he asked.

      Carey shrugged.  "I guess.  So why did you want to meet here?"

      "You saw Mia's e-mail," Sage replied.  "You know what's been happening and what we're up against.  If I can't keep you out of this mess, I want to make sure you can at least be helpful."  He picked up the twin sai and tossed them to her, hilts first.  "We haven't had a chance to practice together for a while, so let's see if your skills are still up."

      Carey caught the swords easily.  Was it hurt or disappointment that Sage saw flicker in her eyes?  But it was quickly gone, hidden behind that cool, unreadable look.  "Whatever," she said.  "I could use the exercise."  She raised her swords to a ready position as Sage picked up his own blade.  "_En garde._"

      Even as unhappy as he was, Sage had to admit that Carey's ability with the sai was impressive.  He had begun teaching her swordfighting shortly after they had become engaged, and she had picked it up with astounding speed.  She hadn't been up to the huge no-datchi or the katana, but she had taken to the short swords with an ease that had surprised him; it reminded her, she said, of the knife skills she had seen the gangs use back home in Miami.  Any other time, he would have been perfectly confident in her prowess…any other time but now.  The thought that there was _something_ out there hunting them, something strong and bloodthirsty and determined, sent a chill through Sage and the only way he could fight it was to turn it outward.    

      He pushed her hard, harder than he ever had.  Fueled by an inexplicable anger, she at first kept pace with him, but after a while she began to tire.  Finally she backed away, holding one hand palm out in a gesture of surrender.  "What are you doing?" Sage demanded, lowering his sword.  "Why are you giving up?"

      "Sage, _enough_," Carey replied sharply.  She was breathing hard and strands of her dark hair clung wetly to her forehead, but her golden eyes shot sparks.  "We have been at this for an hour and a half.  It's late, I'm tired, and I would like to get to bed sometime before dawn.  We can finish playing your sadistic little game tomorrow."

      She looked exhausted and he wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her.  But he could hear the echo of his grandfather's words --- _Love is a weakness _--- and when he spoke it was with his grandfather's voice.  "Is that what you plan to tell your enemy?" he said coldly.  "That you'll finish the battle tomorrow?  Do you think this demon stalking us will care if you're tired?  Most likely it'll just put you out of your misery."

      "Yeah, well, forgive me if my mortal limitations offend you, oh mighty warrior," Carey sneered.  "Besides, this thing is after you, not me.  I just get stuck cleaning up afterwards."

      "That doesn't matter," Sage told her, as if he were lecturing a wayward pupil.  "What do you think this is, a rehearsal?  Your enemy won't show any weakness or mercy.  Neither can you.  Now get over here and let's work on this until you get it right."

      Carey glared at him.  "Go to hell, Sage.  I'm your fiancée, not your student.  You don't give me orders."

      "While you're in this dojo I do.  You still have a lot to learn about our traditions, Carey, and you'd better learn fast if you're going to be my wife.  I put up with a lot from you, and it's caused me a lot of trouble with my family but I've shrugged it off for your sake.  But when you're in this dojo you play by my rules, and I expect you to treat me with respect.  I'm the master here, not you."  She didn't reply, just continued to glower, and Sage lifted his sword again.  "Now pick up those swords and show me that you've actually learned something," Sage ordered.

       She came at him so fast he barely had time to react.  He hadn't even finished bringing his blade to guard position when she was upon him, wielding the twin swords with a vengeance, and all he could do was defend himself.  Finally he thought he saw an opening, and prepared to attack.  But before he could she spun, slamming a vicious roundhouse kick into his side.  He staggered and she knocked his feet out from beneath him, sending him crashing to the mat.  He hadn't even drawn a full breath before she was kneeling on his chest, the blunted tip of one of her swords a hairsbreadth from his throat.

      Sage gasped for breath, and not just from exertion.  The fury in Carey's eyes seared him.  "That was illegal," he managed.

      "Doesn't matter.  _I won_," Carey replied coldly.  "Don't…you…_ever_ speak to me that way again."  Her voice was level, but there was an edge to it that could have drawn blood.  She got to her feet in one swift, fluid motion and stalked out of the dojo, pausing only to fling the words "Good night, Sage," over her shoulder.

      Sage sat up slowly, wincing at the soreness in his ribs where Carey had kicked him --- there was a lot of strength in that tiny frame, he thought ruefully.  _God, she probably hates me now._  He couldn't blame her.  He didn't really like himself at the moment, either.  He wrapped his arms around his knees and sighed deeply.

      _How did it come to this? _he wondered unhappily.  _Just over a week ago we were happy, in love, planning our wedding; everything was just about perfect.  Now it's all falling apart.  Ryo's missing, there's a demon stalking us that can make itself look like him, my best friend is in love with my fiancée, and my fiancée is mad enough to nearly skewer me._  Sage had not missed the rage in Carey's eyes when she had attacked --- she had _wanted_ to hurt him, and he didn't doubt that she could have.  He knew she was still upset about the whole demon-and-armor situation, but this went way beyond that.

      Sage sighed again, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair.  He knew why she was angry.  All through the wedding discussions, his mother and Satsuki had constantly referred to tradition and how important it was to uphold the family's reputation.  His grandfather had asked her point-blank when she intended to have children, emphasizing that her "duty as Seiji's wife" would be to provide at least one heir, preferably more and preferably boys.  Here in his parents' house, she was surrounded by reminders of the long and illustrious history of the Date clan.  All of it only underscored the fact that she was marrying the heir to a noble, powerful, and well-respected family and that she, a Cuban-American dancer only two generations removed from Havana, was nowhere near his equal.  And while he knew his family liked Carey --- well, most of them, anyway --- the message was still there, just under the surface.  Carey Navarro, star ballerina, who had danced for the Emperor of Japan and had international companies clamoring to work with her, was not good enough to marry the future head of the Date family.

      He had not been much help either, Sage thought with a stab of remorse.  Instead of standing by Carey and supporting her, he had withdrawn behind his old mask, keeping her at a careful distance.  He remembered the first time he had brought her to meet his family, when he had defended her to the point of being threatened with disownment.  Why couldn't he seem to do that now?  Why was his family name suddenly more important than the woman he loved?  And why did he even have to choose between them?

      "Having problems, Sage of Halo?"

      Sage's head shot up.  Lost in his thoughts, he had not noticed the lights of the dojo dimming to almost nothing.  But when he saw the figure leaning casually against the doorframe, he knew why they had.  "You," he said coldly.

      Ryo --- or rather, the thing that _looked_ like Ryo --- smiled placidly.  "Is that any way to greet a guest, especially one who's come so far to see you?  I thought you had better manners than that."

      Sage rose deliberately to his feet, his sword in hand.  "You aren't a guest," he replied.  "And you can drop the disguise.  I already know what you look like."

      The demon raised an eyebrow.  "Do you?  I simply thought you would prefer seeing this form.  But, very well, as you wish."  With a casual shrug, the demon transformed.  Carnivorous teeth grinned at Sage.  "Is this better?" it asked, as calmly as if it were modeling a new outfit.

      Sage fought back a wave of nausea.  Nothing he had seen in all his years as a Ronin had prepared him for _this_.  The cadaverous face, the vicious talons, the scabrous body were all bad enough, but the _sense _of the thing…Malevolent psychic energy, black with disease, poured from it in waves.  It ripped into his senses with white-hot claws, shredding his defenses and threatening to drive him mad.  He swayed under the onslaught, nearly collapsing, and just barely managed to get his psychic shields up in time.  "Oh, my God," he murmured involuntarily.

      "What's the matter, Halo?" the monster queried solicitously.  "You wanted to see me as I truly am.  Is my real face not to your liking?"  At Sage's stricken look, the demon chuckled.  "No, I suppose it isn't.  It's always difficult for one of light to look upon darkness…especially his own."

      The words finally penetrated Sage's numbed brain.  "What do you mean, 'my own'?" he demanded.  "Why are you here?  What do you want?"

      "So many questions," the demon chided.  "But I will answer one.  I'm here because you called me, Sage of Halo."

      "What?!"  Sage staggered back a pace, horrified.  How had he _called_ this… this _monstrosity?_  "Liar," he snarled, raising his sword to a ready position.

      The demon just stood there, eyeing Sage as if he were a harmless, naughty child rather than a trained warrior holding a three-foot-long blade.  "Put that down," it said tolerantly.  "I'm not here to harm you…at least not yet."

       "Yeah, well, I don't feel like giving you the chance," Sage retorted.  He reached the monster in two strides, swinging the sword in a two-handed grip.  The blade whistled sharply as it passed…through empty air.

      "Stop that," said the creature's voice behind him, and Sage whirled.  The demon stood a few feet away, calmly regarding him.  "Do you think you can defeat me so easily?" it asked.  Sage lunged at it again, and again it vanished to rematerialize in yet another spot.  A sudden, icy shaft of fear clawed at Sage's insides, but he forced it down.  In one lightning-swift motion, he raised the sword over his head, then swung it down with all his force in a killing blow.

      The monster caught the blade in one clawed hand.  "I said, _stop that_," it repeated in a voice suddenly hard with menace.  It tore the sword easily from Sage's grasp and flung it aside, then raised its other hand in an almost negligent gesture.  The blood-red eyes glowed luridly and a blast of roiling psychic energy smashed into Sage with the force of a wrecking ball, dropping him to his knees in a gasping, shaking heap.  

      As Sage crouched on the mats, trembling violently and fighting not to either faint or throw up, the monster approached to stand over him.  Somehow he had the feeling it disapproved.  "Enough.  I tire of this game, Halo," it said imperiously.

      "Sorry to disappoint you," Sage muttered from between clenched teeth.

      The monster chuckled, a sound that set Sage's teeth on edge.  "You still have your spirit.  Good.  Perhaps you will be worthy of my hunger after all."

      Sage glared up into the hideous face.  "I'm not afraid of you," he grated.

      "Oh, but you are," the demon replied smoothly.  "More than you know."  With the precision of a surgeon, it traced a razor-sharp talon lightly along Sage's temple, leaving a hair-thin line of blood welling in its wake.  Another blast of the monster's vile energy hit Sage, and it was all he could do not to throw up right then and there.  A feral smile curled the lipless mouth as the demon licked the thin thread of Sage's blood from its claw.  "Delicious," it pronounced, like a connoisseur at a wine tasting.  Sage fought the urge to flinch as it leaned closer to him.  "I could take you now," it hissed.  "Rip out that pale throat and leave you bleeding here in your childhood home.  But I won't.  I'll let you ripen a bit longer, save you for last.  Because when I am ready…_you_ will come to _me_."

      "Over my dead body," Sage managed to snarl.  W_hat the hell did it do to me?_

      "Indeed," the monster drawled.  It stepped back, and Sage had to force himself not to gulp for air.  "As much as I've enjoyed our little game, I really must go.  I have other matters to attend to.  But don't worry, Sage of Halo, we'll meet again soon."  The air around the demon shimmered as it began to fade.

      "Coward," Sage flung at it.

      The now-transparent demon chuckled.  "You have the audacity to call _me_ coward.  But look more closely, warrior of Wisdom --- which of us is the _true_ coward?"  And with that parting shot, the monster disappeared.  Sage knelt where he was, frozen and gasping, until the lights returned to normal.  Then he ran for the bathroom and was violently sick.

      Later, when he had managed to calm himself, Sage climbed the stairs to his bedroom.  But as he reached the top of the steps, Sage found himself turning not toward his own room but towards the one where Carey slept.  Sage had to smile slightly at the quaintness of it all.  He and Carey had been lovers for about a year and had been living together for several months, yet his parents still insisted on placing them in separate bedrooms…which in this case meant Carey wound up staying in Yayoi's old room, something that would probably give his oldest sister fits if she knew, Sage thought.  Just because they were going to be sisters-in-law didn't mean they had to like each other, especially since they never had to begin with.

      He stood in the doorway, just watching her for a while.  She lay with her back turned to him, the blankets pulled up so that all he saw was her dark hair against the white sheets, her slender form a shapeless lump in the bed.  Sage felt as if he were watching her from behind a window, as if there was an invisible barrier between them, and suddenly he felt very small and cold and alone. 

      _Love is a weakness, boy._

_      Oh, for crying out loud, Grandfather, shut up._

      "Sage, is there something you need or are you just going to stand there all night?"  Carey's voice was quiet in the stillness, but it still made him jump.

      "Sorry, I…didn't mean to wake you," Sage stammered apologetically.

      "You didn't.  I wasn't asleep," came the reply.  "I've been trying for about an hour or so, but I don't seem to be having much luck."

      Sage crossed the room and sat down gently on the edge of the bed.  "How did you know it was me?"

      Carey lifted one shoulder in a small shrug.  "I just knew.  Besides, who else would just walk in like that?"  Her back was still turned to him.  "Sage, with all due respect, it's after midnight.  If this is a lecture, can it wait until morning?" she asked tonelessly.

      "It's not a lecture.  It's an apology," Sage replied quietly.  "Carey, I was harsh with you tonight and I shouldn't have been.  I pushed you way beyond what I had any right to do.  I'm sorry."

      Carey rolled over and gazed up at him, her face unreadable.  "You taught me swordfighting, you know.  Why do you suddenly have so little faith in that?  Haven't I proved myself to you yet?"

      Sage brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.  "Yes, you have," he agreed.  "Against _human_ opponents.  But what we're facing now isn't human.  I just want to be sure that if I can't protect you, you at least have a shot at protecting yourself.  And that did not come out the way it was supposed to," he finished with a wince.

      Carey's right eyebrow lifted just the smallest fraction.  "Seiji Date.  Are you actually _worried_ about me?" 

      Sage sighed.  "Terrified.  And don't call me that," he added automatically.

      The tiniest hint of a half-smile flitted across Carey's lips as she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.  "You were pretty hard on me tonight," she said, then sighed.  "But I guess it was mutual.  I didn't hurt you, did I?"

      "Well, let's just say that the next time we have a big fight, remind me to be on the other side of the room.  _Way_ on the other side," Sage replied wryly.

      Carey smiled ruefully and lowered her eyes.  "I'm sorry, honey.  I didn't mean to go ballistic on you like that, but suddenly I was just so mad…all I wanted to do was hurt something.  And you were there."  She rested her chin on her knees, looking very young and vulnerable.  "All weekend long, all I've heard is what I'm _expected_ to be as the wife of the Date heir.  Nobody seems to think that what I _am_ is good enough."  She slanted a glance at Sage.  "Not even you."

      Sage didn't even bother trying to refute that.  He remembered full well what he had said to her, and it filled him with shame.  "I shouldn't have said that."

      "Maybe not.  But you did, and in a way you meant it."  She shifted slightly so that she was looking him straight in the eye.  "You've been shutting me out lately, keeping me at a distance.  It's like you're reverting to the way you were when we first met.  I know you've had a lot on your mind with…everything that's been going on, but I just wish you'd be a little more open with me."  

      "You're still mad because I didn't tell you about the armors, aren't you?"

      "A little.  I'm still trying to grasp the fact that my husband-to-be has mystical powers and helped save the world a few times.  But that's not all of it.  Sage, I don't want to be one of those clingy types who has to know where you are, who you're with, and what you'll be doing every second of the day.  I know there's a part of your life that doesn't involve me, just like there's a part of mine that doesn't involve you.  But this demon situation…this concerns both of us.  If it hurts you then it hurts me as well.  Let me help you, darling, let me be part of this.  Don't fall back on your old samurai _machismo_."

      "I just didn't want to get you involved.  There was a lot of ugliness in my past, and I wanted to protect you from it."       

      "I know, and I'm glad you care that much.  But you have to understand something.  In my own way, I was raised to be every bit as much of a warrior as you are.  Why do you think I came back here to marry you, especially when I knew your grandfather disapproved?  My parents always taught me to stand by the people I loved and to fight for what was important to me.  Sage, I love you, I want to be your wife, and I will do my best to respect your family's traditions.  But I won't, I _can't_ be the submissive Japanese 'little woman' who walks one pace behind you with her eyes on the ground, who keeps your house and has your babies and defers to you in everything."

      "Is that what you think I want?"

      "I think it's what your _family_ wants, especially your grandfather," Carey replied gently.  "And I think that, in the end, your family will always come first for you.  I don't want to come between that.  I want to help you and support you, but I won't be your subordinate, Sage.  I will be your partner in this marriage, or the marriage won't happen at all."  It was neither an ultimatum nor a threat.  It was a simple statement of fact.

      Sage lowered his eyes for a moment, and Carey's heart sank.  Then he met her gaze again, and she saw the honesty in those violet eyes.  "I love you.  And I need you," he said simply.  It was enough.

      They leaned against the headboard, Sage's arm around Carey's shoulders as she rested lightly against him.  It wasn't quite as close as they usually were, but it was a start, Sage thought.      

      Finally Carey sighed.  "I always thought that people about to get married were supposed to be floating around in some kind of rose-colored daze; that everything was all hearts and flowers and happily-ever-after.  But I guess it doesn't really work that way, does it?" she mused a little sadly.

      "I guess not," Sage agreed.  He smiled slightly in the darkness.  "This was our first really huge fight, you know."

      "Should we celebrate?"

      "That we had it or that we survived it?"

      Carey shrugged.  "Why not both?"  Sage chuckled softly and hugged her close, kissing the top of her head.  He knew he should tell her about the demon's visit, but he couldn't bring himself to ruin the fragile peace between them.  _Later,_ he pleaded with his conscience.  _I'll tell her later.  Just let us have now._

      After a while Sage spoke.  "I guess we shouldn't have come here, not now, not with things so tense between us."

      "We had to," Carey said.  "They're your family and soon to be mine as well.  We can't just shut them out ...even though sometimes I almost wish we could," she added ruefully.

      "You're not the only one," Sage replied.  He tilted his head back to gaze at the ceiling.  "I love my family dearly, but sometimes I think my life would have been a lot simpler if I had been born the son of an anonymous farmer in some backwater village."

      "Are you that unhappy?"

      "Confused is more like it.  Am I Sage Date, art historian and lover to one of Japan's hottest young ballerinas, who takes salsa-dance lessons on a whim and kisses his girlfriend in public and defies his family for love?  Or am I Seiji Date, descendant of noble samurai warriors, heir to the Date legacy, for whom honor is everything, marriage is a contract, and emotion is a sign of weakness?  And how do I reconcile the two?"

      "Well, personally, I prefer Sage to Seiji," Carey told him.  "But they're both you, _querido_.  After all, it was Seiji's honor and courage that made you stand up to your grandfather for me.  And it was Sage's love that gave me the strength to do the same."  She smiled at him then, the first real smile she'd given him all night.  "Maybe they're not as far apart as you think," she said wisely.

      Sage stared at her in surprise for a moment, then raised her hand to his lips.  "Cye was right," he said softly.  "I _do_ underestimate you sometimes." 

      "Maybe we underestimate each other," Carey replied.  Then she giggled suddenly.

      "What's so funny?"

      "I was just imagining you as a farmer in Boondocks, Japan.  Driving an ox-drawn cart, wearing one of your designer suits with your hair perfectly combed and one of those basket-type hats on your head…and chomping on a blade of grass," Carey explained, and giggled again.

      Sage felt his lips twitch at the image her words called up.  "Honey, they don't use oxen anymore.  Most farms have tractors now."

      "Whatever.  The idea is still too ridiculous for words," Carey said, her eyes sparkling.

      "Actually, I think I'd make a great farmer," Sage replied with an air of mock-injured dignity.  At Carey's skeptically raised eyebrow, he added, "Or not."

      "Definitely not," Carey said firmly.  "It's late, Sage, and you look tired.  You really should get some sleep."

      "Meaning you want me to go away and stop keeping you awake," Sage teased her.  "I know a dismissal when I hear one."

      "Well, since you mention it…." Carey said, and they both laughed.

      Sage smoothed Carey's hair away from her face with a gentle caress.  "We can make this work, can't we?" he asked wistfully.

      "Well, we're not out of the woods yet.  But at least now we can see the trail again," Carey answered.  She kissed him softly on the lips, a tender, lingering kiss that gave Sage new hope.  "Good night, darling.  _Buenos sueños._"

      "_Oyasumi nasai_, love."  It wasn't until Sage was in his own bed that he remembered he had forgotten to tell her about the monster.

      _Hidden in its lair, the demon chuckled softly to itself.  Foolish mortals.  Didn't they know that it could hear them, sense them, _feel_ them?  It knew their secrets.  It knew the glorious, unbelievable power they held.  And soon…it would _possess _them.  Already the humans were falling into its trap, and the more they fought against it the more ensnared they became…and they didn't even realize it, the monster thought delightedly.  By the time they knew what they faced, it would be too late.  The demon would feed, and feed well.   _

_      But not yet, it reminded itself.  _Patience_.  The time was not right yet.  No, for the time being it would wait, and watch, and gather strength from this one being it already held.  It would feed from this one until its plan fell into place, and then…The demon smiled cruelly in anticipation._

_      It had waited for hundreds of years.  It could wait a little longer. _

***********************************************************************************************

_Santa Maria_: Spanish; "holy Mary".

_Sangre de Dios_: Spanish; "God's blood".

_Basta ya_: Spanish; "enough already".

_No mas_: Spanish; "no more".

_Sumimasen_: Japanese; "sorry".

_Ojii-sama_: Japanese; "grandfather".

_Magamusuko_: Japanese, "grandson".

_Sai_; Japanese; twin short swords.

_Buenos sueños_: Spanish; "sweet dreams".

_Oyasumi nasai_: Japanese; "good night".


	8. The Visitor

**Heart of Darkness**

By Icewyche 

**Chapter Seven: The Visitor**

      They were in the dojo again, and once more the air rang with the clash of metal blades.  Sage smiled inwardly as he evaded a particularly tricky move of Carey's, then countered it with one of his own.  It wasn't a move he had shown her before, but she blocked it quickly, proving that she could think on her feet.  Her eyes twinkled at him as she danced out of his reach, forcing him to pursue her in order to continue their battle.

      Their fight earlier had cleared the air between them, and he was grateful for that.  By the time he called the exercise to a halt, Sage was more than pleased with Carey's progress.  She had surpassed even his expectations for her and he told her so, smiling as her lovely face glowed with pleasure.  If it came down to it, he felt that she at least had a fighting chance against the demon.  He would continue to work with her, but for now they were both sweaty and exhausted and needed a rest.  

      "I'll be in the shower," he told her. Carey nodded absently as she stretched, working the kinks out of her muscles.

      The hot water felt heavenly.  Sage just stood under the shower for a moment, letting the heat loosen muscles that were knotted not only from hard exercise, he realized, but also from tension.  He closed his eyes and let himself relax.  He knew the battle was far from over, but at least now they had more of a chance.  

      He was rinsing the shampoo from his hair when he felt a slight draft, followed a second later by a pair of slim arms sliding around his waist and a tiny nipping kiss between his shoulder blades.  He turned to see Carey smiling at him.  "I decided I could use a shower too," she purred, but the look in her eyes told him she had something else in mind.  His smile matched her own as he reached for her.

      They kissed and caressed until they were beyond ready, maddened with desire.  Spurred on by his lover's soft moans, Sage braced Carey against the tile wall, holding her close so that she wouldn't fall.  Her arms wrapped around him, her small hands sliding over his wet skin as she kissed him deeply.

      Sage's body jerked with a sudden, searing pain.  He looked down and saw the tips of bloody talons emerging from his chest.  Stunned, not comprehending, he gazed at Carey.  She smiled, baring her teeth --- and her face became that of the demon.  Her eyes glowed red as she held him helpless and impaled.  His vision dimming, Sage could only watch through wide, shocked eyes as she bent slightly and licked his blood from one of her talons.  The last thing he saw was the demon's evil grin, just before the razor-sharp teeth tore out his throat.

      Sage bolted awake with a scream.  He sat rigidly upright, staring into the darkness, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would jump out of his chest as he gasped frantically for air.

      "Sage --- Sage, are you all right?"  A dim light snapped on to his right, and he turned to see Carey beside him, rubbing her eyes as she struggled out of sleep.  She squinted at him in alarm.  "_Madre de Dios_, honey, what's wrong?"  

      He could only stare at her with wild eyes, shaking uncontrollably as he recalled the horrifying image of the nightmare --- the woman he loved transforming into an otherworldly beast.  His pallor and the obvious terror in his eyes was enough to awaken Carey fully.  "Sage, what is it?  Was it a bad dream?"  She reached out and took his hand, her eyes widening at its coldness.  "Darling, snap out of it, you're safe, it's all right."

      He couldn't help it --- all he could see were those hellish red eyes and his own lifeblood on that savagely grinning mouth.  He yanked his hand from her grasp with an inarticulate cry of horror and bolted from their bed, struggling clumsily into his robe as he fled to the guest room.  He locked the door behind him and crawled into the cold, unused bed, wrapping the sheets tightly about his shivering body.  Carey knocked at the door, but he ignored her gentle, worried entreaties until she finally gave up and went back to bed.  Huddled in the tangled blankets, he stared into the darkness until his eyes finally closed from sheer exhaustion, a single thought whispering over and over through his mind like a poisoned mantra.

      _I can't trust anyone anymore.  Not even her._

      Rowen rubbed his eyes and glared balefully at the stack of papers in front of him --- the results of today's quiz.  He was sorely tempted to just toss the whole pile out the window and the hell with it.  Half the students hadn't read the assignments, and the ones who did were for the most part too lazy to try and comprehend it.  He strongly suspected the majority of them had just read the Cliffs Notes instead.  

      It really wasn't fair, he thought resentfully.  He was smarter than most of the Engineering faculty, but for some reason the chairman of the department had taken a dislike to him --- _probably knows his days are numbered, the senile old goat_ --- and had saddled Rowen with the remedial classes.  Of course, the official explanation was that a graduate student wasn't ready to teach the advanced courses, never mind that he had done his last year of regular studies and his first year of grad school simultaneously…Rowen sighed.  Well, the sooner he got this out of the way, the better.

      He was shaking his head over one student's blatant disregard for anything approaching scientific fact when he noticed that the room seemed to be getting lighter.  He looked up, and his jaw dropped --- a pillar of light was coalescing beside his desk.  As his brain was processing this information, the pillar spoke.

      "Rowen?"

      "AAAAHH!"  Rowen jerked backward with a startled yell, a move that caused his chair to overbalance and dumped him unceremoniously onto the floor.  As he shoved the chair off him and scuttled backwards, a girl peered over his desk.  Wide, dark-blue eyes regarded him from a piquant little face framed by long, straight black hair.  A _shakujo_ jangled softly in one small hand.  "Rowen, are you all right?" the girl queried.

      "Kayura?" Rowen exclaimed in disbelief.  He got to his feet and hauled his chair upright.  "Don't _do_ that!" he huffed.

      "Sorry," Lady Kayura apologized.  "I didn't mean to startle you like that --- I just figured that this was the most direct way to reach you."

      "Next time try the door," Rowen replied dryly.  "So, now that you've taken about ten years off my life span, what can I do for you?  You didn't come by just to visit, am I right?"

      Kayura looked solemn.  "I came to warn you.  Rowen, something has been unleashed on the mortal world, something extremely dangerous…and I think it's after the Ronins."

      "Yeah, well, you're a little late there," Rowen informed her.  "It already has one of us, and the rest of us have made its acquaintance --- the hard way."

      "What do you mean, it has one of you?"

      "We think it has Ryo.  What, you didn't know?  Aren't you supposed to be overseeing all these demonic beasties in the Nether Realm?"

      "Yes, and just the fact that it's gotten this far…"  Kayura frowned.  "Rowen, we may be running out of time.  I need you to tell me everything you know about this demon.  Can we talk privately here?"

      Rowen glanced at the door.  "I doubt it.  The department head likes to barge in on me every so often.  Let's take a walk around campus."  He eyed Lady Kayura's flowing white robes.  "Or maybe not.  That outfit's a little conspicuous."

      "Not a problem."  The air around Kayura shimmered, bathing her in an opaque, opalescent white glow.  When it cleared, she was clad in a short, frilly rose-print dress and high heels and carried a small matching handbag.  "How's this?"

      Rowen raised his eyebrows.  "A woman who can get changed in three seconds instead of three _hours_.  Will you marry me?"  Kayura smacked him with her purse.

     They strolled along the walkways, the Warrior of Life and the last of the Ancients, looking just like any other students enjoying the warm spring day.  "Hard to believe it's been almost ten years," Rowen mused.

      "You've all done well," Kayura said.  "You kept the world safe, and you've gone on to live normal lives.  Here you are, teaching at your age, and Sage is getting married."

      Rowen slanted an eyebrow at her.  "What, you've been keeping tabs on us?"

      "Nothing so esoteric, I'm afraid."  When Rowen continued to look skeptical, Kayura added, "I saw the announcement in the newspaper on one of my visits to the mortal realm."

      "Oh."  Rowen thought about that for a moment.  "Visits?"

      "I like to roam around the mortal world every so often, just to see how things are going."  Kayura shrugged.  "It's only been within the past year and a half that I've actually felt safe leaving the Nether Realm for any length of time.  And after spending so many years trying to fix the unholy mess Talpa left behind, I decided I deserved a break once in a while."

      "So why didn't you let any of us know you were here?"

      "I wasn't sure you'd want to see me.  I know I represent a very difficult time in your lives for all of you, and I'm sure there are still some hard feelings.  I didn't want to bring up the past."  Kayura sighed and brushed back a strand of her hair.  "Besides, I come here to…well, to escape, to get away from being the 'last of the Ancients', ruler of the Nether Realm.  I never had a chance to really be a normal person, Rowen.  Here at least I can pretend I'm one," she added wistfully.

      "But that's not why you're here now," Rowen said.  "You said you wanted to know what I knew about this demon that's loose.  All we've been able to find out from Mia is that it's some sort of Aztec demon with a name I'm not even going to try to pronounce, but it translates roughly as 'Soul Taker'.  Apparently it's a shapeshifter, and right now it's decided it wants to look like Ryo, who has coincidentally disappeared without a trace.  And while we've been trying to find Ryo, this thing has been terrorizing us.  It's not much, I know, but it's all we've got."

      "That's all right…it tells me enough," Kayura murmured, almost to herself.  She sighed again and turned to Rowen, her expression grim.  "You're not going to like it," she warned.  "Your enemy is a very ancient entity, almost as old as mankind itself.  It has many names, but we call it the Devourer.  It feeds on human souls, specifically those in pain or despair, and it has the ability to take on the form of its chosen prey while it saps that person's life force.  As the legend has it, many centuries ago the Devourer actually had a corporeal form, but that form was destroyed when it challenged a mystic and lost.  The loss of its body meant that it could move about much more freely, which it did, but it always missed being able to walk among the living.  So it took on the shape of its victim, which also helped it to sow discord and unhappiness among the victim's friends and family and increase its power.  It terrorized humanity for centuries, until one day it went up against a shaman in ancient Mexico.  They fought, and the shaman managed to imprison the beast in a mask.  The shaman hid the mask away where it would never be found, and after that all the records are silent on the Devourer.  Rowen, are you all right?" Kayura added, seeing that Rowen had paled considerably.

      "You said this thing was imprisoned in a _mask_?" he repeated.

      "Yes."

      "In Mexico."

      "Yes, that's right," Kayura agreed.  "But the mask has been hidden away for centuries."

      "Not anymore it's not," Rowen muttered, looking slightly sick.  "That shaman never counted on twentieth-century archaeologists.  Kayura, if I'm right, that mask is _here_."

      "What?  Here?" Kayura echoed, startled.  "But how?"

      "Sage works at an art gallery in the city.  From what he's told us, an old friend of the owner's found a mask at an archaeological dig in Mexico not too long ago.  He sent it to the gallery, but it was broken in an earthquake the day it arrived.  The demon that's stalking us used Ryo's form to attack me and Kento, but it showed its real face to Cye, and he said it looked exactly like that mask."  Rowen shuffled through the file folder he had brought with him for a moment, then extracted a picture and handed it to Kayura.  "Like this."

      Kayura studied the photo and her face took on an expression of dismay.  "Yes, this is the Devourer," she agreed heavily.  "It must have gotten loose when the mask broke.  Oh, Rowen, this is bad."

      "No kidding.  What I want to know is, why is this thing after us?  I mean, there's got to be enough despair in this city that it doesn't need to take Ryo and stalk the rest of us."

      "I'm sure there is," Kayura replied.  "But how many souls are there as strong and bright as yours?  It's the difference between a birthday candle and a bonfire, Rowen.  My guess is, the Devourer was originally awakened when it was taken out of its tomb.  After all, it hadn't felt the touch of a human in centuries, and even a mass murderer would have gotten its attention.  But the people who took it weren't pure enough, so it decided to wait until it found something more to its liking, someone who could give it the power it needed to break free of the shaman's curse.  Someone like a Ronin Warrior," Kayura finished.  "You said the mask was sent to the gallery where Sage works.  Do you know if he touched it?"

      "He didn't say, but I'd be willing to bet the answer's yes," Rowen replied grimly.  "Sage is the owner's right hand, and he's involved with a lot of the gallery's acquisitions.  _And_ he's the most psychically gifted of all of us.  Oh, damn."  He raised his broken hand to his forehead.  "This Devourer must have sensed Sage's power and that woke it up with a vengeance.  Then when the mask broke, it was somehow able to muster up enough energy to get free."

      "But if that's the case, why didn't it possess Sage instead of Ryo?" Kayura wondered.

      "Sage probably sensed it and was able to shield himself, and since it had just been awakened, it might not have been strong enough to overpower him.  But Ryo doesn't have that kind of defense mechanism.  And the Devourer is drawn to unhappiness, right?  Well, up until recently, Sage has been happy getting ready for his wedding.  It's only within the last couple of weeks that he and Carey have started having problems --- ever since this demon started hunting us, in fact.  We suspected the attacks on us were somehow related to the armors, but Sage refused to tell Carey the truth about them until he was forced into it.  Now she's angry at him for not telling her, and he's mad at her for not understanding and at the rest of us because we spilled the beans.  Plus, we're all worried about Ryo and edgy because we don't know what this demon's going to do next, so we're all tense and snapping at each other and it's just a big fat mess," Rowen finished glumly.

      Kayura shook her head.  "Rowen, this has to stop.  One of this demon's favorite games is to take the form of its current victim and use that shape to cause fear and mistrust among those close to him --- which is exactly what it's doing to you.  All of you need to resolve your differences and work together on this, because otherwise you're just playing right into its hands.  Remember the Tower of Pain Talpa built, the one that essentially fed off human negativity?  Well, that's exactly what the Devourer does --- where do you think Talpa got the idea?  I just hope it hasn't faced Sage yet."

      "Why?"

      "As psychically powerful as Sage is?  If he's as unhappy right now as you're making me believe he is, do you realize how much strength the Devourer can draw from that?  Sage's empathic abilities make him especially vulnerable; one good psychic blast from the Devourer can destroy his shields and leave him helpless."

      "Oh, my God."

      "But we still have time.  Right now the demon only has enough strength to handle one of you at a time.  And although it can and probably is drawing a tremendous amount of power from Ryo, it's not going to drain him right away.  I'm willing to bet that it will wait until it can stir up enough trouble between the four of you that the bond you have falls apart, and then it will strike."

      "That'll never happen," Rowen said confidently.

      "Never say never, Rowen," Kayura warned.  "It's already started --- the Ronin Warriors are already viewing each other with mistrust.  The Devourer is very skillful and very hungry.  It's faced each of you, gotten your scent, so to speak; it knows the power you each possess and it won't give up until it's taken that power for its own."

      "So where do we start?"

      "Start with Sage.  He seems to be going through the most pain right now, and since he was the one who awakened the Devourer it's going to see him as the ultimate prize."

      Rowen looked at the ground.  "Uh…that might be easier said than done.  Sage isn't exactly speaking to me right now."

      "But you're his best friend."

      "Yeah, I _was_…until I made the stupid mistake of telling him I had a crush on the woman he's going to marry," Rowen said unhappily.

      "What?  Rowen, you _didn't_."

      "Oh, yes, I did.  And I didn't just tell Sage and Carey, either --- I blurted it out in front of the entire team."

      Kayura stared at him for a moment, then she began to laugh.  "Kayura!" Rowen protested.

      "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh, but --- oh, Rowen, that was not the most brilliant thing you've ever done," she giggled.  "What in the worlds possessed you to do that?"

      "Well, it was either that or let Carey keep thinking I was gay and lusting after Sage," Rowen muttered in chagrin, then stopped as Kayura burst into new peals of laughter.  He folded his arms and glared at her with a look of extreme annoyance until she finally brought her mirth under control.  "Are you done?" he demanded irritably.

      "Yes," Kayura murmured, still giggling.  She wiped her eyes and bit her lip, trying to school her expression into something more serious.  It didn't work.  "Now I know why I like coming here --- it's so entertaining."

      "Well, I'm glad we mere mortals amuse you, oh great Ruler of the Nether Realm, but can we get back to business now?" Rowen said.  "There's a shapeshifting demon on the loose that wants to eat our souls and it's kidnapped our friend to help it do that.  Can't you stop it, Kayura?"

      "I'm afraid not," Kayura replied regretfully.  "As long as this thing is in the mortal realm, I'm forbidden to actually fight it."

      "What?  Since when?"

      "It's always been that way, Rowen.  Technically, we of the Nether Realm aren't supposed to involve ourselves with combats on the mortal plane."

      "That never stopped Talpa," Rowen muttered.

      "Yes, and you remember what _that_ led to," Kayura reminded him.  "I don't like this any better than you do, but it's part of the balance between our worlds.  I can advise, and I can defend and protect if it's necessary, but I can't fight unless there's no other choice.  The risk is too great."

      "Even though we're fighting a supernatural force?"

      "Even though.  Remember, the Ancient and Anubis both never really fought Talpa on this plane.  They protected you and helped you find your way around, but the actual battle was up to the Ronins.  I have to abide by these rules, Rowen.  If I don't it could sabotage everything I've spent the last several years trying to create."

      "Terrific," Rowen sighed.  "So I guess we're on our own against this thing.  What can we do to stop it and get Ryo back safely?"

      "I'm not really sure," Kayura said.  "The Devourer is tricky --- it knows how to shield its magical signature so that we can't get a definite location on it.  I'm going to have to do some more research and see if I can find a way to draw this thing into the open.  And there's something else at work here, too, some part of this equation that I can't identify.  But in the meantime, the Ronin Warriors need to pull together and stop this infighting.  Remember, Rowen, it only has one of you, and you've seen how much power _that_ gives it.  Can you imagine what will be unleashed if it gets all five Ronins?"

      Rowen frowned.  "Not something I want to think about," he admitted.  "It's already done enough damage."  He sighed resignedly.  "Okay, then, I guess it's time I had a serious talk with Sage.  I just hope he doesn't decide to break my other hand…or worse."

      "Let me see that," Kayura said.  She took his splinted hand in both of hers and examined it for a moment.  Then a soft blue glow surrounded their linked hands, and Rowen felt a gentle warmth pulse through his injured hand.  He blinked in surprise as Kayura reached up and slowly traced one glowing finger along the healing wound on his forehead.  But before he could ask what she was doing, the glow faded away and Kayura stepped back slightly.  "There.  As good as new," she said with satisfaction.

      Rowen reached up and felt his forehead.  The skin was perfectly smooth, with no trace of the gash that had once been there.  "You won't need the brace anymore, either," Kayura told him.  "After all, we can't have the best hope for the mortal world in less than fighting shape, can we?"

      "Kayura…"

      "Stop this thing, Rowen," Kayura interrupted him, her blue eyes intense.  "Stop it once and for all, because if you don't…neither of our worlds will be safe."  She moved away from him, but paused to throw one last glance over her shoulder.  "Call me if you need me," she said.  Then, in a swirl of white light, she was gone.        

      After realizing that he had been reading the same paragraph for the past thirty minutes, Sage gave up and shoved the report aside.  He sighed deeply and put his head in his hands, rubbing his temples wearily.

      The morning had been a disaster.  He had managed to get an hour or two of uneasy sleep after his nightmare, and it left him feeling strung-out and jittery, his nerves as taut as an overstretched bowstring.  Carey's tentative "Good morning" had gone unanswered; he could feel the weight of her concerned gaze on him and he would not meet her eyes.  They had picked at their breakfast in silence until Carey finally spoke up.  "Sage, what's the matter?"

      "Nothing," he had muttered sullenly.

      "That's not true and we both know it," Carey had replied quietly.  "Last night you ran away from me and locked yourself in the guest room, and this morning you won't even look at me.  There's something about that dream you had that's obviously scared you.  Honey, please talk to me.  Tell me what's wrong."

      "_Damn it, will you leave me alone already?_"  The words burst from him in a shocking, venomous rush.  Sage felt oddly disconnected, as if he were standing outside himself watching helplessly from a distance.  "You know, for someone who doesn't want to cling to me, you're doing a pretty good job of doing just that.  Maybe _that's_ what's wrong, Carey, maybe I'm sick of feeling like I'm in some kind of group therapy session.  When I want to share my feelings I will, until then _leave me alone!_"  The utter viciousness of his words horrified him, but he could not have stopped them any more than he could have halted a tsunami with his bare hands.

      Carey's face went stark white, and for a moment Sage thought she was going to cry.  But instead her amber eyes narrowed dangerously as her expression grew hard and set.  Without another word to him, she swept up her breakfast and hurled it into the trash can --- plate, silverware and all --- then stalked out of the kitchen, snatching up her dance bag without even breaking stride.  A moment later the door to the apartment slammed with enough force to rattle the pictures on the walls.  

      The intercom on Sage's desk buzzed.  "Mr. Date, there's a Mr. Rowen Hashiba here to see you," the desk secretary told him.

      Sage's head came up.  He did not need this, not now.  "Tell him I'm in a meeting," he said hastily.

      "You sure are," came a voice from the door.  "With me."  Startled, Sage looked up to see Rowen standing in the doorway.

      Rowen had to mask his own shock at the sight of his friend.  Sage looked awful.  Oh, he still looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ, but there were shadows in his eyes and he was surrounded by a strange aura of --- was it grief?  Desperation?  Fear?  Whatever it was, Rowen didn't like it one bit, especially knowing what he did about their demonic foe.  "You look like hell," he blurted out.

      "You barged into my office to tell me that?" Sage replied, one eyebrow lifted coolly.  "Well, now that you've fulfilled your mission, don't let the door hit you on the way out."

      "Sage, we need to talk, and we need to talk now."

      "Rowen, I'm busy, and I don't feel like listening to you try and explain why you decided to fall in love with my fiancée."

      "That's good, because I'm not here to talk about that," Rowen shot back.  "Look, Kayura paid me a visit this morning.  She knows what we're up against, and she was able to tell me more about it."

      Sage leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, fixing Rowen with a cynical, impress-me gaze.  "And?"

      "It's called the Devourer.  It feeds on emotional suffering, and it has the ability to transform itself to look like its current victim in order to cause more unhappiness and build its power.  Many centuries ago, an Aztec shaman managed to imprison it in a mask.  He hid the mask behind stone walls, thinking that it would never again see the light of day.  But he was wrong.  Now that mask is here…and the demon is free."

      "And you couldn't have just phoned me with this fascinating but redundant information?"

      "Would you have stayed on the line long enough to listen?" Rowen retorted.  "Sage, we can't keep on fighting among ourselves like this.  Kayura says this monster is playing us against each other, trying to separate us so much that we won't be able to put up a fight."     

      "Don't start with me about what 'Kayura says'," Sage said coldly.  "Maybe if Kayura spent less time flitting about the mortal realm and more time keeping things in order at home this demon wouldn't have gotten loose.  Someone was sleeping on the job up there, Rowen, or maybe Kayura opened a door she shouldn't have."

      "Sage, answer a question for me.  When that mask came in, did you touch it?"

      "What?"

      "You heard me.  Did you touch that mask?"

      Sage rolled his eyes.  "Yes, I touched the damned mask," he replied in a voice heavy with annoyance.  "So what?"

      Rowen took a deep breath and mentally braced himself.  "Sage," he said very quietly, "Kayura didn't awaken the Devourer…_you_ did."

      Sage could have been carved from marble.  "Get out of my office," he said in a low, deadly voice.

      "Not until you hear me out."  Sage's hand moved for the intercom button, and Rowen caught his wrist with the speed of a striking snake, just hard enough to stop him.  "Listen to me!" he hissed.  Sage glared but didn't move, and Rowen knew he had to speak fast before Sage threw him across the room.  "Kayura thinks the Devourer was originally awakened when it was taken from its tomb in Mexico.  But it must not have found any souls there that were to its liking --- these guys were essentially grave robbers, after all --- so it decided to hibernate until something better came along.  When it arrived here, it sensed your power when you touched its mask, and that awakened it fully.  Then that quake hit and the mask that held it was broken --- and so was the shaman's curse."  Rowen frowned in concern.  "Sage, are you all right?"

      Sage's face had gone white, and his violet eyes were dark with something Rowen could not name.  "Every time I touched that mask it gave me a sort of shock, like static electricity.  Then when the mask broke, the lights went out and I felt something touch me, mentally, but I was able to shield against it.  Then it was gone."  He looked up at Rowen, his features still with dread.  "Are you telling me that I did this, that _I_ unleashed this thing?"

      "No, Sage, you didn't unleash it.  Those shocks you felt were probably caused by the Devourer reacting to the strength of your soul.  But it still would have stayed trapped in that mask if it wasn't for the quake.  This wasn't your fault.  There was no way you could have known," Rowen reassured him.  He let go of Sage's wrist and stepped back a pace, furrowing his brow slightly in thought.  "At least we've got one ace up our sleeve," he continued.  "This Devourer hasn't faced you head-on yet…has it?"  The stricken look on Sage's face told Rowen everything he didn't want to know.  "Oh, no.  When?"

      "At my parents' house," Sage said quietly.  "Carey and I had just had a big fight in the dojo."

      "Who won?"

      "She did," Sage admitted with a tiny, rueful smile.  "She's a lot tougher than she looks, Rowen.  Anyway, after she left I remember thinking about how everything was falling apart around me, and the next thing I knew the demon was there."  He twisted his hands together nervously.  "It said I 'called' it…and I guess I did, didn't I?  Oh, my God."

      "It didn't hurt you, did it?"

      "Not…not physically, no.  But _mentally _--- "  Sage shuddered at the memory.  "I saw its real face, Rowen.  That mask --- it doesn't even come close, this thing is so horrible.  And what was worse, I could _sense_ it."  His gaze turned inward, darkening with remembered horror.  "I can't even describe what it felt like…it was so black, so _corrupted_.  It brought me to my knees without even trying."

      "And that's not easy to do," Rowen commented.  He looked hard at his friend.  "You and Carey had another fight today, didn't you?" he asked suddenly.

      "That's none of your business." 

      "Actually, the safety and happiness of two of my dearest friends is very much my business.  Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but whatever it is you have got to resolve it.  The more you fight, the more vulnerable it makes you to the Devourer."

      "Rowen, I'm sure you mean well, but I really don't think you're the best person to advise me about dealing with Carey."

      "Okay, fine," Rowen shrugged.  "I'll just go ask Carey what happened."

      "You stay away from her," Sage warned sharply.  He got to his feet and planted both hands on the desktop, glaring suspiciously at Rowen.  "You know, this is interesting.  Not only are you after the woman I love, but you've also conveniently managed to shift the blame for this demon's escape onto me.  What's your next move?"

      "What?"

      "You stand there and tell me that I have to 'resolve' my problems with Carey, but why do I get the feeling that's the last thing you want to see happen?"

      Rowen blinked in surprise at this sudden attack.  "Are you accusing me of trying to split the two of you up?"

      "Why not?  I should have seen this coming," Sage said bitterly.  "You've never really been able to find happiness with anyone; it must drive you insane with jealousy knowing that I have."

      "Sage, no," Rowen protested.  "Nobody was happier for you than I was when you and Carey got engaged."

      "Yeah, right.  You were so _happy_ for me that a month before the wedding you decided to tell my fiancée that you're in love with her."

      "Would you rather I told her I was in love with _you_?" Rowen retorted angrily.  "Do you think _that_ would have made her feel any better?  Damn it, Sage, she thought you and I were gay, and she would have kept on thinking that if I hadn't spoken up!  I wouldn't have told either of you about my feelings if I'd had the choice."

      "How noble of you," Sage sneered.  "You drive a wedge between us, but it's really for our own good.  And I suppose that now you plan to go to her and tell her you know all about our fight and offer her a shoulder to cry on.  After all, you're only doing it because you _care_ about us.  I trusted you, Rowen.  How could you do this to me?  How could you betray me like this?" 

      "_Betray_ you?" Rowen echoed incredulously.  "Were you even listening to a word I said that night?  I didn't say I _loved_ Carey, in fact I said I _couldn't_ love her the way you do.  What I feel for her is just a crush, Sage --- a stupid schoolboy infatuation that doesn't mean anything at all, and if you would just open your eyes and look you might see that.  Besides, even I'm not desperate enough to come on to a woman who doesn't want me and never will."  He folded his arms and glared at his friend.  "You know, I think you've been so busy nursing your own jealousy and paranoia that you've forgotten something very important.  The first time you proposed to Carey she turned you down, do you remember that?"

      "Yeah, I remember," Sage replied sourly.  "I also remember your boneheaded attempt to 'help' me get through it --- it took me a full day to get rid of the hangover."

      "Well, _I_ didn't tell you to drink nearly half a bottle of tequila, but that's not my point," Rowen shot back.  "My point is, _why_ did she turn you down?  Let me refresh your memory, Sage.  She turned you down because she had a job waiting for her in Seattle with Pacific Northwest.  A world-renowned ballet company, one of the best in America…and _they_ came to _her_.  If she had taken that job she'd probably be an international star now.  But she didn't take it, did she?  She turned her back on that without a second thought and came right back to Japan --- right back to _you_.

      "You know, Sage, you're right about one thing…I've always envied you," Rowen went on.  "You know why?  Because you have everything.  Looks, talent, charm, not to mention a real family.  And now you have a woman who loves you so much that she's willing to give up her own dreams to be your wife.  You have everything I've ever wanted, but you don't have the grace or humility to appreciate any of it --- and I hate you for that.  You're an arrogant, coldhearted bastard who doesn't deserve a woman like Carey, and I almost hope she _does_ leave you.  She'd certainly be better off."  His words ended abruptly as Sage's fist smashed into his jaw, knocking him to the floor.

       A look of utter shock came over Sage's face as he realized what he had done.  He stared at his fist as if he'd never seen it before, then at his friend sprawled on the carpet.  "Rowen…" he began.

      Rowen shook his head to clear it, then gingerly put a hand to his bruised jaw.  "Well, I guess I deserved that," he said with a crooked smile.  "Feel better now?"

      "Rowen, I…"  Sage's voice trailed away as words failed him.  He had just slugged his best friend.  What could he possibly say?

      "You know, Cye hit me like that once --- sent me flying onto Mia's dining room table," Rowen remarked wryly as he got to his feet.  "You and Ryo were getting your butts kicked in Tanzania at the time.  And I remember the look on his face was exactly like yours is now."

      Sage sagged against the edge of his desk, looking like a man who had just missed getting run over by a bus. "I don't know what's happening to me anymore," he said faintly.  "I'm screaming at the woman I love, I'm physically attacking my best friend, I'm constantly on edge…it's like I'm trapped in some sort of bad dream and I can't wake up."

       "Sage, what happened this morning?" Rowen asked gently.  "When I walked into your office, you looked like you hadn't slept in a week and you were giving off so many bad vibes the Devourer would have to be deaf and blind to miss you."

      "It's that obvious, huh?"

      "You may as well have a neon sign over your head saying 'Come and get it!'," Rowen told him.  "Look, I know you're not one for sharing, but you can't keep holding this in, not when it's hurting you like this.  Talk to me, buddy."

      Sage pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply.  "I had a nightmare early this morning…I dreamed the demon had taken Carey's form, and I didn't know it until it was too late.  It scared me out of my mind, but when Carey tried to calm me down I ran and locked myself in the guest room.  I couldn't help it, Rowen --- when I looked at her all I saw was that _thing's_ face with my blood on its mouth.  And when she tried to get me to tell her about it at breakfast I just exploded.  I accused her of clinging to me, said I was tired of being psychoanalyzed…godawful things that I'm ashamed ever left my mouth.  But it was like something else was controlling me and I couldn't stop it," he said helplessly.

      "And what did Carey say?"

      "Nothing.  She just stormed out and slammed the door so hard it's a wonder the ceiling didn't collapse.  But I saw the look on her face --- if she'd been armed I would be dead now."

      Rowen shook his head.  "And you really think I want to steal her away from you?  Sage, Carey is a beautiful, charming, and talented lady, and I don't think there's a man alive who wouldn't love to have her at his side.  But I've seen some of your smaller arguments, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret --- there are times when that woman scares the hell out of me.  You remember when she went after Kento for trying to eat her ballet shoes?  All I could think was, she may be gorgeous, but better you than me."  He chuckled briefly at the memory, then grew serious again.  "Look, I'm no expert on relationships.  All I know is that you two love each other so much that nothing else matters --- not your family, not her career.  You've got to find a way to fix things between you, because the longer this goes on the more appetizing you are to the Devourer.  Honestly, the way you are now I'm surprised it didn't just come charging right in here and sink its teeth into you."  He paused at the look on Sage's face.  "Okay, that was a bad choice of words," Rowen added hastily.

      "But…what if it does take Carey?" Sage asked.  "This thing can take any shape it wants, Rowen.  How do I know who to trust anymore?"

      Rowen smiled grimly.  "Our friend has a weakness, Sage.  It can only handle one victim at a time, and right now it's busy with Ryo.  Besides, it doesn't want Carey.  Even as strong-willed as she is, she can't give it the kind of power it wants --- it needs us for that.  I think it also knows that if harmed her, you'd be on it like flies on day-old sushi and it wants unhappiness, not vengeance.  And anyway, you're an empath, remember?  You can probably sense this thing better than any of us."  Sage didn't reply, and Rowen went on, "Look, don't worry.  Kayura's doing what she can to help us fight this beast, and we'll find a way to get Ryo out safely.  What you need to do now is mend your fences with your bride-to-be…your wedding's in just over a month, buddy.  It won't look too good if you're fighting all the way to the altar," he added facetiously.

      A shadow flickered briefly across Sage's eyes, but it was gone before Rowen was even sure he'd seen it.  "You're right," Sage replied, straightening his shoulders.  "And after this morning's fiasco I'm sure I'll have my work cut out for me.  Thanks, Rowen."

      "Anytime.  Besides, I've already got my tux for the wedding --- I'll be damned if I'll let you screw this up," Rowen said wryly.  He glanced at his watch.  "I have to get back to the university, and I still need to give Cye and Kento the heads-up on this demon.  Will you be okay?"  Sage nodded.  "All right, then."

      "There's one thing I don't understand, though," Sage said.  "If this Devourer really does feed off unhappiness and negativity, I can see why it would come after me.  But why did it take Ryo, and why is it attacking the rest of you?"

      Rowen glanced away for just a moment.  "I…don't know," he said with a deliberately casual shrug.  "I guess that's what we need to find out.  Talk to you later, Sage."  He headed out the door before Sage could question him further.

      _They were on its trail now; they knew its name and they knew what it wanted.  Or at least they _thought _they did, the Devourer mused with an evil smile._

_      "They're on to you," its captive said, showing a rare flash of spirit.  "It won't be long now.  They'll come for me."_

_      "Of course they will," the demon replied.  "And when they do I'll be waiting."  It turned its crimson gaze on its prisoner and subtly called up its power.  "Just think…you'll be leading your friends right into my clutches."_

_      The surge of despair was immediate and sweet.  "No…"_

_      "Oh, yes," the Devourer said.  "They'll walk straight to their doom without hesitation, and all for you, Ryo of Wildfire."_

_      "No," Ryo protested helplessly.  "They'll fight you.  They won't let you win.  They'll find a way to stop you."_

_      The waves of anguish rolling from the captured Ronin were as delicious as the finest wines, and the demon drank them in greedily.  "How?  They don't have you to help them," it pointed out.  "Without you the Ronin Warriors are incomplete.  They'll be helpless against my power --- power _you _have given me.  A fine leader you are, Wildfire."_

_      "No!"_

_      "So weak you let yourself be taken," the Devourer continued relentlessly.  "You were supposed to protect them, but instead you draw them to their doom.  How does it feel, to know that your friends will perish because of your weakness?  You have failed, Ryo of Wildfire.  You have _failed_!"_

_      Ryo sank back with a moan of dismay, and the Devourer reveled in his grief.  It threw back its head and laughed, feeling the power fill it, feeling its strength grow even more.  Soon, it knew, the rest of the Ronin Warriors would come looking for it.  Soon the battle would begin._

_      Which was exactly what the Devourer wanted. _

      There was an old saying that love meant never having to say you were sorry.  Whoever said that was an idiot, Sage thought.  Knowing that he had to apologize to Carey was one thing --- actually finding a way to do it was another.  He had just rejected his ninth start-up line when the phone rang, startling him out of his musings.  "Hello?"

      "Sage, it's me," came Carey's voice on the other end of the line.  "Look, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home until late tonight --- we're premiering a new ballet, but Aoi sprained her knee and we don't have anyone else who knows her role, so I'm going to be dancing for the next few nights until we can train an understudy."

      "Oh."  Sage felt a stab of disappointment --- that meant they would barely cross paths until the ballet's run was over.  "Carey…about this morning --- "

      Someone bellowed in the background.  "I have to go," Carey said hurriedly.  "They need me in rehearsal."

      "Honey, we really need to talk about this."

      "Sage, I can't deal with this now, okay?  I only called so you wouldn't wait up and worry tonight.  I promise we'll talk later, but I'm late for stage rehearsal now.  'Bye, honey."

      "Carey --- " Sage began, but she had already hung up.  "I love you," he whispered to the dial tone.  He replaced the receiver in its cradle, then walked down the hall to the storage room.  

      The Devourer's mask had been repaired, and it sat on a table waiting to be placed somewhere in the gallery.  Sage ran a finger along one edge, noticing that the mask no longer gave him those strange shocks.  But then, why should it, he thought; it was empty now, just an ordinary mask.  Even the mask itself no longer seemed so frightening, compared to what had inhabited it.  He stared at it for a long moment. 

      "I know you're out there," he said softly, fiercely to the mask.  "I know what you're trying to do.  But I'm not going to let you win." 

      He almost thought the mask laughed at him.


	9. True Confessions

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

Chapter Eight: True Confessions 

      Cye locked his apartment door behind him, not even bothering to turn on the overhead lights.  He flopped onto the sofa and turned on a small table light, deciding that in his current mood he much preferred the shadows.  

      It had been a long, difficult day --- hell, it had been a long, difficult _several _days, and he was tired of it all, he mused darkly.  Tired of being in danger, of living his life under the shadow of the armors.  Tired of the fruitless search for Ryo, who for all he knew might not even still be alive.  Tired of the constant arguing between the other Ronins, tired of being the peacemaker.  He had had it up to _here_ with Sage's icy stubbornness, Kento's lack of seriousness, and Rowen's well-intentioned blunders.  And while there had been no new demon sightings in the last couple of days, the fact that the thing was even out there in the first place added even more fuel to his anger.  _If I ever find out who released this thing into the wild, that person had better know a good funeral director,_ he thought savagely._  So much for being the pacifist._  Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that this irrational bad temper wasn't like him at all, but he couldn't seem to shake it…and if the truth were known he wasn't sure he really wanted to.

      He stewed for a moment more before he realized that his answering machine light was blinking, and he reached over to check his messages with an annoyed sigh.  The first message was from a telemarketer, and he promptly skipped over it.  The second was from the formalwear shop, reminding him that he needed to make an appointment to have his tuxedo fitted for the Date-Navarro wedding.  _If there's even still going to _be _a wedding_, he thought cynically, but he made a note anyway.

      The third message was from Rowen.  "Cye, it's Rowen.  I've found out some more information on our _friend_, something you need to hear.  I've already talked to Sage, but it didn't go too well…apparently he got a visit from our friend over the weekend.  There's something else wrong too, something he's not telling me about, but he's kind of upset right now and I don't think it would be a good idea to push him.  Anyway, call me as soon as you get this; I'll be in my office until about five-thirty and home after that.  Thanks, buddy.  Talk to you later."  _Yeah, right_, Cye thought rebelliously.  _Solve your own damn problems, genius._  He skipped to the fourth and final message.

      "Hi, darling, it's me," Emiko's voice cooed.  "I know you've been really busy lately, but I was hoping we could get together for dinner soon, maybe this weekend?  We really need to spend some time together and talk about where our relationship is going.  It seems like you're avoiding me, and I don't know why," she said plaintively.  "You know, a friend of mine told me that she and her husband went to couples' therapy, and it worked for them.  Maybe we should consider the same thing.  Of course, you know I'm not trying to pressure you, honey, but, you know…our relationship is important to me, and I'm sure it is to you, too.  At least I hope it is.  Oh, by the way, you need to let me know when your friend's rehearsal dinner is so I can make sure I can be there with you, and I need to know what you think I should wear to the wedding.  So call me back soon, sweetie, I love you," she chirped.

      Cye groaned and stopped the tape.  _Oh, God, Emmy, not now._  He had enough problems; he didn't need to deal with hers as well.  He had heard the faint hint of a whine in her voice, and it was usually his cue to run to her side, or at the very least call her and spend at least an hour reassuring her that he still loved her.  But for some reason, he couldn't seem to make himself reach for the phone.

      _Couples' therapy_, Cye thought with a roll of his eyes.  That was for married people…and despite the rather unsubtle hints she had been dropping lately, Cye had no intention of marrying Emiko, at least not yet.  Nor was he going to attend some therapy session just to placate her; if something was wrong with their relationship, they would have to fix it themselves.  No way was he going to make a fool of himself in front of strangers to save their romance…especially when he wasn't even sure it was worth saving anymore.

      Cye's cynical musings screeched to an abrupt halt.  Had he just thought…?  Yes, he had indeed, and equally surprising was the fact that he felt no remorse over it, either.  His earlier anger was forgotten; it wasn't important now.  Suddenly the truth was right in front of him, cold and unavoidable.

      _I don't love her anymore._

      Cye leaned back against the sofa and sighed.  So there it was.  He didn't love Emiko anymore, and the knowledge brought with it only relief and a sort of gentle regret.

      When had he stopped loving her?  They had met by accident, literally bumping into each other in the middle of a crowded department store.  He had helped her gather her scattered packages and she had thanked him, but she seemed so shaken by the incident that he had offered to buy her a cup of coffee as an apology.  She had shyly accepted, and by the time they parted ways nearly two hours later Cye knew Emiko Satoya's entire story.

      She was an office worker in a large downtown accounting firm.  Her parents were elderly, and lived so far away that she was rarely able to visit them.  She had been dating someone, and in fact they had discussed marriage, but that had come to an end when she discovered her former boyfriend was cheating on her.  She had actually caught him in his apartment with another woman, Emiko explained sadly.  Touched by the downcast look in her eyes and outraged that anyone could treat this delicate little waif so cruelly, Cye found himself asking her out.  She had accepted, and so the romance had begun.

      It had been all right at first, Cye thought.  She was like a fragile doll that had been broken and inexpertly mended, and he looked forward to seeing her blossom again.  He didn't mind that her feelings bruised rather easily; not everyone could be as strong and independent as Mia or Sage's then-girlfriend Carey, and besides, he liked having someone to care for and protect, someone who _needed_ him.  Let Ryo have his brainy, self-sufficient scholar Mia; let Sage have his fiery Hispanic ballerina who could make the walls shake when she yelled.  Cye was content with his sweet, gentle Emmy.

      But as the months passed, he began to wonder if he might have made a mistake.  What he had taken for delicacy was in fact an astounding helplessness, and he sometimes thought that if her emotional bruises were visible on her skin he'd be arrested for assaulting her.  She no longer simply needed him, she _clung_ to him like a limpet…or a net.  He quickly learned to tiptoe around her moods, because the slightest hint of criticism could send her into either floods of tears or a sulk that would last for days.  

      Of course, Cye thought wryly, she didn't _always_ cling…particularly not when _he_ wanted to hold on to _her._  She could complain for hours about how terrible her supervisor was, or how no one in her office seemed to like her, or the way they would heap work on her and then complain if it wasn't done exactly right; but the minute he tried to tell her about his work her eyes would glaze over and she would either fidget in silence or find something else to talk about.  He enjoyed cuddling after they made love but Emmy always pulled away, something that made their nights together seem cheap and sordid to Cye.  And whenever he was tired or unhappy or just in need of a shoulder to lean on, the rare occasions she actually tried to help always ended in her bungling it so badly the resulting mess had caused him to forget his own problems and focus on reassuring her.  But when Cye began to feel restless, overwhelmed by Emiko's selfishness and immaturity, she would suddenly turn sweet and adoring, cooing about how glad she was to have found someone as wonderful as him…he was so _different_ from the other men she had dated, men who had gotten what they wanted from her and then dumped her without a backward glance.  He was such a good man and she knew he would never hurt her, she would say trustingly, and Cye's resolve would disintegrate like a sand castle in a typhoon.  How could he even think of leaving someone who loved him so much, who had been betrayed so many times before?  Wasn't he better than that?  And so, caught between her manipulations and his own guilt, Cye would try even harder to make the relationship with Emiko work…after all, he told himself, he loved her.

       Until now.  Cye sighed deeply and stared into space.  It was time to stop deceiving himself.  He no longer loved Emiko, and if he were to be completely honest he wasn't sure he ever really had.  He had cared for Emmy, yes; he had wanted to protect and shelter her, but that had been sympathy, not love.  Besides, he was tired of always being the sheltering one --- he wanted someone who would shelter _him_ once in a while.  He wanted something like Sage and Carey had, where the strengths of one bolstered the weaknesses of the other and vice versa, each giving and taking equally, fitting heart, mind, and soul together in a partnership so perfect it made you believe in the existence of soulmates.  He did not and would never have that with Emiko, Cye realized.  He was the strong one, she was the weak one.  He gave and she took.  He did not have a partner; he had a child, and it simply wasn't enough anymore.

      But how to tell her?  That, Cye knew, was the thorny part.  No matter how gently he tried to break it off with Emmy, it would not be painless or easy.  It would take all of his mediating skills, and he really couldn't spare them right now, he thought ruefully.  He shook his head and stood up.  What he needed now was to immerse himself in something mundane…and his thesis would do nicely.  A discussion of the impact of industry on the freshwater ecosystem of Japan should take his mind off the tangled mess the rest of his life had become.

      He worked for an hour before writer's block set in.  His screensaver came on, but he didn't mind.  His mind was a blank, his eyelids were heavy with fatigue, and he could not think of a coherent sentence to save his life.  So he just sat there, his chin propped on his hand, watching the animated fish and waiting for inspiration to strike.  He didn't even notice when his eyes closed.

      _He was swimming through a blue, blue ocean.  Fish of all shapes and sizes swam by him, as gaily colored as a carnival.  A killer whale greeted him, nuzzling his hand like a dog that wanted to be petted.  Sunlight filtered down through the water, casting dappled cerulean shadows, and the whole thing looked like a cathedral._

_      Emiko swam by; at least, she was Emiko from the waist up.  The lower half of her body was a huge fishtail.  Her dark hair floated around her face, longer than he had ever seen it, and she was weaving the strands into a delicate net.  She waved the net at him in greeting, then turned away and headed for the surface.  Cye frowned.  Didn't she know mermaids were helpless on land?  But she was not his concern now, and he dove deeper.  Something was calling him._

_      It was dark in the lower reaches of the water.  The fish vanished but he barely noticed, intent on following that strange call.  It wasn't until the waters turned inky black around him that he realized he was alone._

_      Well…not quite.  A tentacle slashed at him out of nowhere, and he barely managed to evade it.  It was followed by a second, then a third.  He avoided both of them, but he didn't see the next strike and the thick limb wrapped itself about his waist with a force that took his breath away.  As he struggled to break the thing's grasp, the rest of it appeared._

_      A huge, scaly, leprous head, razor-sharp fangs dripping with ichor, eyes that glowed a lurid blood-red as it caught sight of its prey.  In the back of his mind Cye knew he had seen it somewhere before, but that was not important now.  He could sense its mindless hunger and it revolted him; this creature existed only to devour and destroy.  The tentacle tightened around his waist as the thing's excitement grew.  It wanted to feed, and it wanted to feed _now_…but Cye had other plans.  _

      His trident appeared in his hands as if by magic and he severed the creature's tentacle, darting quickly out of its reach.  Freed, he brandished the trident and prepared to call his armor to him.  But instead of attacking, the beast opened its fanged mouth.  A shrill scream emerged.  Cye floated there, wondering what to do next, and the monster screamed and screamed and screamed….

      Cye awoke with a start.  His head was resting on his arm, the computer was still showing those ridiculous animated fish, and the monster's shrill cry continued to echo in his ears; it took a moment before he realized it was the sound of the telephone ringing.  He reached awkwardly for it, still trying to blink the fog from his mind.  "Hello?" he mumbled.

      "Cye?  Cye, is that you?"  It was a woman's voice, and it was very familiar.  Still, it was another second or two before he was able to attach a name to it.

      "Sayoko?"

      "Oh, Cye, thank God.  I was afraid I wouldn't be able to reach you."

      Even through his fatigue and the disorientation of being suddenly awakened, Cye heard the agitation in his sister's voice.  A feeling of foreboding swept over him.  "Sayoko, what is it?  What's wrong?"

      "Cye, something has happened.  It's Mother.  She wasn't feeling well today, so she went to take a nap in the afternoon.  She didn't come down for lunch and I decided not to wake her, but then she didn't come down for dinner, either.  I went to check on her, and…and I found her.

      "Cye…you need to come home."

      "The doctors said it was her heart," Cye explained three days later.  Kimiko Mouri's funeral was over, and the Ronins were gathered in the study of Cye's childhood home in Hagi.  "They said it just…gave out, that she was just too tired to go on," Cye continued softly, hesitantly, as if he were trying to translate the words from a language he didn't know.  "Apparently she was a lot sicker than any of us knew…it was only a matter of time."

      "How are you holding up?" Rowen asked.

      "Well enough, I suppose.  It hasn't really sunk in yet.  It's kind of funny, actually…I've known for a long time that this day would come; I thought I was ready for it.  But I'm finding out now that I'm not nearly as ready as I thought I was."  Cye paused, and his eyes filled with tears.  "The worst part is, I never had a chance to come home and see her one more time.  I was always so busy…I never had the chance to tell her how much I loved her," he finished, his voice catching.

      Sage reached over and laid his hand over Cye's.  "She knew, Cye," he said gently.  "She always knew."

      "I know that, but…"  Cye looked up, and his turquoise gaze locked with Sage's violet one.  "Knowing that someone loves you isn't the same as hearing them say it," he said quietly.  Sage lowered his eyes.

      "Speaking of 'love', where's yours, Sage?" Kento asked.  "Don't tell me she's so mad at us she won't even come to Cye's mom's funeral."

      "Carey couldn't make it," Sage explained.  "One of the other lead dancers got hurt and Carey's covering her roles until they can find someone else to fill in."  He sighed.  "Maybe it's just as well --- we need some time apart right now.  We got in a huge fight the other day, and I said some things I shouldn't have said.  Now it's like there's a huge wall between us, and I can't seem to break through it.  I know I was wrong…but I don't know how to make things right between us again."  

      Silence fell over the little group for a moment.  "Guys…this brings up a problem," Rowen finally spoke up quietly.  "We still have the Devourer after us, and this may be just the opportunity it's been looking for.  With his mom gone, Cye is the most vulnerable of us now.  We have to find a way to protect him."

      "I know this probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but --- how do we know that this demon didn't kill Cye's mom?" Kento asked.  "I mean, it's gone after all four of us and failed.  What if it's decided to raise the stakes?"

      Sage and Rowen both started to protest, but Cye gently stopped them.  "It's all right.  I have to admit, I thought about that when I first got Sayoko's call.  But I really don't think the Devourer is behind this."

      "How can you be sure?" Sage asked.

      Cye shrugged.  "Mum has been sick for a long time, ever since I can remember, really.  I spoke with her doctor when I got home.  He said her heart was so weak, it's a wonder she lasted as long as she did.  She was in constant pain, and when she wasn't she was too tired to really do much of anything.  These past few months she hasn't even been able to do any of her pottery work, which I know frustrated her.  It's no way to live, and I'm sure it was hard on her.  I think she finally just decided that it was her time to go."  He smiled faintly.  "Besides, if the Devourer is trying to weaken my defenses this way, it's failed miserably.  It hurts to lose Mum, especially since I wasn't there to say goodbye.  But I can't help but feel a certain relief, too.  She was suffering for so long, but she put on a brave face for me and Sayoko.  Now she doesn't have to do that any longer.  Her pain is over and she can rest.  She's at peace now, and as much as I'll miss her…I'm glad she's not hurting anymore," he said softly.

      Rowen laid a hand on Cye's shoulder to comfort him.  "Cye's right.  Besides, the Devourer wants us as confused and fragmented as possible, and hurting our loved ones is only going to do the opposite.  No, whatever moves it makes, it's going to direct them at us.  And the more I think about it, the more I wonder if it even _can_ kill."

      Sage raised an eyebrow.  "Rowen, I've seen this monster up close and personal.  Those teeth and claws aren't just for decoration."

      "Yeah, and what about its other attempts?" Kento added.  "It knocked you down the stairs, it tried to flambé me, and Cye almost drowned after he met up with it."

      "Exactly --- _almost_," Rowen replied.  "Have any of you noticed that whenever it caused any of us serious physical harm, it made sure the others were or would soon be nearby?  When it attacked me it left my front door open so that when Sage and Carey arrived, they knew something was wrong and went to look for me.  Besides, if it wanted me dead so badly, all it had to do was bash my head in with the wrench after I was unconscious.  Kento, when it lured you into the shed, it asked you where the rest of us were.  It didn't start that fire until it knew that we were close by and could get you out in time.  And when it got Cye, it knew that Sage would follow him downstairs shortly."

      "And now that I think about it, that thing was incredibly strong…it was able to pick me up with one hand," Cye mused.  "It could have snapped my neck like a twig, but it didn't."

      "Right.  It banged you up to get your attention, but it knew better than to kill you."

      "Okay, but what about Sage?" Kento asked.  "The Devourer didn't lay a finger on him."

      "Yeah, well, it had other tricks up its sleeve," Sage replied dryly.  "The Devourer has a lot of psychic strength as well, and it almost burned me out.  God only knows what would have happened if I hadn't been able to shield against it --- or if it had tried harder," he added with a frown.

      "So why didn't it?" Rowen pointed out.  "Were you alone in the dojo when it showed up?"  At Sage's nod, Rowen continued, "That's why.  It knew there was no one nearby to help you, and it didn't want to risk hurting you."

      "If I didn't know better I'd think the Devourer was actually concerned about our welfare," Cye said with a small, humorless laugh.

      "In a way, it is," Rowen said.  "It draws its power from _living_ souls, remember.  We're no use to it dead; it needs us alive in order to draw power from us.  The purpose of these attacks isn't to kill us, guys.  The Devourer is trying to demoralize us, to bring down our guards so that we'll be too confused and edgy to fight it.  I mean, look at what's happening to us.  We're worried about Ryo.  We're scared for ourselves and our loved ones.  We're constantly looking over our shoulders wondering what this thing's going to do next.  It's gotten to the point where we're suspicious of everything…including each other.  And instead of working together, we're falling apart, which is just what the Devourer wants.  We have to get our act together because if we don't, Ryo doesn't have a chance and neither do we."

      Again there was a pause, then Kento spoke up.  "You know, something doesn't add up here.  This demon feeds on strong, powerful souls, but if I'm understanding you right they have to be in some sort of serious emotional pain to begin with or it won't even look twice at them.  So what made it decide to latch on to us?  I mean, before the Devourer came along we had everything going for us.  There was nothing that it could have wanted.  Our problems didn't start until _after_ this thing began attacking us, right?"  He was surprised when, instead of agreeing, the other Ronins just stared silently at the floor.  "Uh, guys, feel free to back me up at any time here," Kento suggested.

      Finally Cye spoke.  "Actually, that's not entirely true," the gentle redhead said quietly.  "My girlfriend and I are having problems and we have been for a while.  This sounds horrible, but I don't love her anymore and to be honest I'm not sure I ever did." A tiny, rueful smile curved his lips.  "When I first met Emmy, I thought she was so sweet, so innocent and naïve. Turns out I was the naïve one.  I thought that I was the one who could heal all her past hurts and make everything better again; all I had to do was prove to her that I loved her.  I could never quite manage it, though, no matter how hard I tried, but instead of wondering what was wrong with _her _I just decided it was _my_ fault and tried harder."

      "Which really isn't like you," Sage pointed out.  "You may be trusting, Cye, but you're not stupid."

      "Except when it comes to romance," Cye replied wryly.  "I've had some time to think over the past few days, and I've realized that the reason I clung to Emmy for so long was really more about my ego than hers.  She kept telling me that I was better than the other men she had dated, the ones who had used her and then discarded her, and I let myself believe it.  I thought that backing out on her would make me just as bad as them, and Emmy certainly wasn't about to disabuse me of that notion.  Why should she, when it gave her so much power over me?  And I wasn't going to admit to myself that _she_ was actually using _me_, because it would mean admitting that I had been wrong about her and that everything we had had together was a lie.  I didn't want to face the truth about either of us…so I just wore my blinders and told myself that everything would work out all right.  Even when I knew otherwise," he finished regretfully. 

      There was silence for a few seconds, then Rowen spoke up.  "You're not the only one with problems," he said with a sigh.  "Sometimes I look at my life and I think, is _this _what I fought so hard for?  To teach kindergarten-level physics to kids who couldn't care less under a department chairman who hates me, and I still come home to an empty house at the end of the day.  I can't help but wonder if I would have fought so hard to survive if I'd known I was just going to wind up alone again."

      "Rowen, you're not alone," Cye reminded him.  "You still have us."

      "Yeah, but for how much longer?" Rowen replied.  "I never told any of you this, but…the time when we wore the armors and protected this world was on some level one of the best periods in my life.  I had spent so many years alone, and then, all of a sudden, one day I had people who really cared about me, people who saw me as a person and who actually gave a damn if I lived or died.  For the first time in my life, I had a _family_.  But now I feel like all that's about to end."

      He bit his lip briefly, then continued, "I guess Sage's engagement really brought it home to me.  Soon his life is going to take a different path than ours; he'll have Carey at his side instead of us, and that's how it should be.  And I know that eventually all of us are going to head out on our own roads.  But there's some part of me that just doesn't want that to happen yet, or maybe not at all."  Rowen smiled ruefully.  "It's selfish and childish and stupid, but I feel like I'm being abandoned…my best friend has somebody who matters to him more than I do now.  My family's starting to drift apart, and I'm being left behind.  Does any of this make any sense?" he wondered.  "I guess what I mean is, I'm afraid our lives are going to take such separate paths that we'll never be able to get them back together again.  I know we can never go back…but I'm not sure I want to go forward, either."

      The others considered Rowen's words, then Sage sighed.  "My turn, I guess," he said quietly.  "Rowen said that my marriage is going to take me onto a different path, and I know that's true.  But suddenly I'm not sure that it's a path I'm ready to take.  And to make matters worse, lately I feel like I'm not so much _stepping _onto this path as being _shoved_ onto it." 

      "What do you mean?" Rowen asked.  "You love Carey, don't you?"

      "Of course I do --- that's just it."  A sad little smile curved Sage's lips.  "I love her with all my heart and I want to share my life with her, but…you know, when Carey and I first announced our engagement, I thought I had plenty of time to get used to the idea.  After all, we weren't actually getting married until spring.  But now it _is_ spring, and we're just weeks away from this wedding, and suddenly I've realized that I don't have any more time, I have to face this _now_.  In four weeks I'm going to have to stand in front of that priest and promise to share the rest of my life with another person.  Soon I'll be a husband, a married man; eventually I'll be a father and one day I'll even be a grandfather.  And as if that weren't enough, my marriage means I'll be officially settling into my role as the future head of the Date clan, which means I'll be expected to provide the next heir and ensure the survival of my family.  I'll have more responsibilities than I've ever had before; my life will never be solely _mine_ again.  And even though I've been groomed for this from birth, now that it's actually staring me in the face I just can't deal with it."  He smiled wryly.  "The irony of it is, when I proposed to Carey, I said I wanted forever…and now, ready or not, I'm going to get it.  I guess this falls under 'Be careful what you wish for'."

      Again silence, then three pairs of eyes turned expectantly to Kento.  "What?" he demanded.

      "We've all spilled our deep, dark, miserable secrets," Cye told him.  "It's your turn."

      "Oh, no, you don't.  Just because you guys decided to get in touch with your inner whiners doesn't mean I have to," Kento said defensively.  "Maybe you should just consider Prozac.  My life is fine."

      "Of course it is.  That's why this demon locked you in a shed and tried to flame-broil you," Rowen replied acerbically.  "Knock it off, Kento, you're not fooling anyone.  The sooner you get this off your chest the better."  When Kento remained mutinously silent, Rowen went on, "Okay, would you like me to start?  You're twenty-four years old and still living with your parents.  You have a college degree, but instead of using it you're doing the same thing you've been doing since high school --- working in your family's restaurant.  You want to make a change but you can't muster up the nerve to do it, so instead you just sit there and stagnate.  How am I doing so far?" he demanded.

      Kento's glare could have split stone.  "Rowen, sometimes I _really_ hate you."

      "Bull's-eye," Rowen told the other Ronins.

      "Oh, quit gloating, you blue-haired freak.  _Yes_, damn it, my life royally bites," Kento complained.  He folded his arms across his chest and glowered sulkily.  "Rowen, you and Cye are going for your Master's degrees.  In a few more years you'll probably have your Ph.D's and we'll have to call you 'Doctor' or something.  Sage is a _kendo_ master and art expert who's marrying a ballerina and mingling with the rich and famous.  Even Ryo --- do you know how many people I talked to at that zoo who just raved about how good he was with those animals?  You guys have all found a place for yourselves, you've made your mark in the world.  But what have I done?  If this Devourer had taken me instead of Ryo, who would miss me?  Who would care if I just dropped off the face of the earth tomorrow?"

      "We would care, Kento, and so would your family," Cye said.

      "Yeah, but who besides you?  Next to the four of you I'm a nothing, a failure, and it's always been that way, even when we wore the armors.  Ryo was our noble, fearless leader, Sage was the mystic and healer, Rowen was the brains and Cye was the mediator.  But I was always the slow one, the guy with the big muscles and the big mouth and not much else.  Sometimes I wonder why I was even chosen to be a Ronin Warrior.  I don't have any real gifts, any high I.Q. or supernatural abilities or anything.  I'm not like the rest of you --- I'm not special," Kento finished miserably.

      "And that's a bad thing?" Sage queried.  "Kento, you were the one who kept the rest of us from getting caught up in our own 'specialness'.  You kept us grounded, buddy, and God knows we needed it.  Besides, you have a degree in Criminal Justice; you're a natural for police work.  Why don't you go ahead and apply?"

      "Sage, I barely squeaked through college," Kento replied.  "There were a couple of times when it looked like I might not graduate, and if it hadn't been for my tutors I probably wouldn't have.  I got that degree by the skin of my teeth.  What happens if I go to take the police academy exam and flunk?  I'll still be stuck at the restaurant, except now I'll be even _more_ of a failure.  Maybe I'm just chicken...but I've found that when you keep your expectations low you don't get disappointed as much," he added cynically.

      The four Ronins mulled this over for a while.  Finally Cye said, "You know what's happening here, don't you?  We each have our own individual problems, but beneath it all we're all saying the same thing --- we're facing a turning point in our lives, and it's scaring the hell out of us."

      The others turned to look at him.  "What do you mean?" Rowen asked.

      "Well, think about what we've been saying.  I'm stuck in a relationship with a woman I don't love, but I'd rather lie to myself than do something about it.  You worry that your only real family is drifting apart and that you'll always be alone.  Sage is scared of the responsibilities that his marriage will bring, and Kento knows his life is going nowhere, but he's afraid he'll fail if he tries to change it.  It all comes down to the same thing…we're scared of growing up," Cye said quietly.

      "We are, aren't we?" Sage murmured thoughtfully.  "I never thought about it that way, but it makes sense."

      "But why?" Kento wanted to know.  "I mean, isn't this what we fought so hard for when we wore the armors?  So we'd _have_ the chance to grow up?  Why's it so scary _now_?"

      "Because it's actually happening," Cye replied.  "When we wore the Ronin Armors and battled Talpa and all the others, yes, we wanted to grow up and have normal lives.  But I think on some level none of us really expected we'd survive long enough to do it.  Deep in our hearts I don't think we believed we'd live long enough to have to worry about getting married or splitting up the team or dealing with bad relationships or figuring out what we wanted to do with our lives.  But now we've got adulthood staring us in the face and it's scarier than any demon we've ever had to deal with."

      "And that's how the Devourer found us," Rowen agreed.  "We may look successful and happy, but beneath it all we've got enough fear and confusion and unhappiness to feed this thing for centuries."  He smiled wryly.  " 'We have seen the enemy and he is us.' "

      Sage grinned.  "Cye, you sneak…and here I thought Wisdom was _my_ virtue."

      "Some of us are just multi-talented," Cye proclaimed haughtily.  The others glowered at him.  "What?"

      "One of these days, Cye," Kento warned, then smacked his hands together decisively.  "So.  Now that we've figured all this out, how do we keep from becoming a demon smorgasbord and get Ryo back while we're at it?"

      "I'm going to talk to Kayura," Rowen said.  "She might have found out more about the Devourer --- its weaknesses, where it lives, things like that."

      "Things we'll need if we intend to take on this monster," Sage agreed.  "Meanwhile, I'll do some research of my own.  What Kayura can't tell us about this thing, the legends might."

      "And while you guys are finding out about the Devourer, I'm gonna find out about Ryo," Kento asserted.  "This thing went after him for a reason.  We'll have a better chance of freeing him if we know why he got snagged in the first place."

      Cye nodded.  "I have a few more things to take care of here, but I should be able to join you within the next couple of days," he said, then smiled at his friends.  "Just remember, guys --- we've faced some of the greatest evils this world has to offer, and we vanquished every single one of them.  _And_ we did it with our lives and our sanity intact.  The Devourer is dangerous and powerful…but so are we."  He held out a clenched fist, palm down.  "Are you with me?"

      "All the way," Rowen assented, placing his hand on top of Cye's.

      "And then some," Sage said, adding his hand to theirs.

      Kento placed his huge paw on top of the pile.  "Count me in, too," he said, the old sparkle returning to his eyes.  "We'll teach this demon what it means to mess with the Ronin Warriors."

      "Exactly," Cye replied, his sea-blue eyes alight with a new determination.  "The Devourer thinks it has the upper hand now.  It thinks we're too weakened and divided by our own problems to put up any real resistance."  He smiled grimly.  "We're going to prove otherwise."  

***********************************************************************************************

**Author's Note:** I have to apologize for the ungodly length of time it took me to put this chapter together, but I've been dealing with a swarm of personal and career upheavals, not to mention the mother of all writer's block.  x_x   Bear with me, though --- I think it'll be worth the wait!  And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated! ;-)


	10. Communion

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

Chapter Nine: Communion 

      Sage pressed the accelerator and felt the slight pressure of gravity as the car responded instantly.  It had been a long time since he had driven this fast, and he had to admit some part of him still missed his racing days.  The feel of a perfectly-tuned machine racing over asphalt, the adrenaline rush of speed, the sheer power in his control…oh, yeah, he missed it.  _Now I rarely drive over the speed limit_, he mused.  _I obey all signals, I'm cautious and careful at all times…my God, I drive like a grownup._  The thought made him smile, and he impulsively pressed the accelerator just a bit more, watching as the needle on the speedometer rose.  Of course, he still stayed within the legal limit, if only barely…he didn't need to get pulled over, not right now.  What he needed was to get home.

      It was strange, he thought, but ever since his talk with the guys that morning he felt oddly clearheaded, as if he had just walked out of a fogbank he hadn't even known was there.  _Well, they say confession is good for the soul._  He could think straight again for the first time in what seemed like weeks, and it had given him an idea --- an idea he had not wanted to share with the others lest they try to talk him out of it.

      His thoughts turned to Carey, and he wondered what she was doing at that moment.  Part of him wanted to drive directly to the ballet studio, to take his beloved in his arms and beg her forgiveness…either that or bundle her into the car, take her home, and make insanely passionate love to her for the next forty-eight hours.  Sage chuckled wryly and shook his head.  _Down, boy.  _The work he had planned would require a clear, focused mind…and daydreams about a two-day romp in bed with his bride-to-be were not going to help.  He turned on the CD player and classical music instantly filled the car.  Sage smiled as he recognized it; _Swan Lake_.  Somehow the tale of lovers menaced by an evil sorcerer seemed appropriate now…of course, he was aiming for the happy-ending version this time.

      The apartment was dark and quiet when he arrived home, and he was glad Carey hadn't come home yet.  As much as he needed to talk to her, to clear the air and hopefully patch things up between them, there was something else he needed to do first.  He dropped his suitcase by the closet door, not even bothering to open it --- there would be time to unpack later.  Exchanging his shirt and slacks for the comfortable _gi_ and _hakama_ he preferred for meditation, he hunted around in the closet until he found what he was looking for.

      The small latched box sat at the very back of the top shelf of the bedroom closet, its top furred with dust.  Carey had asked him what it was when he had first put it away there, and he remembered that he had simply told her it was a personal memento from high school.  The months'-worth of dust dulling the dark wood told him that she had honored his privacy.  A pang of guilt stabbed him as he brushed off the box.  _There's so much I haven't told Carey, so many secrets I've kept from her…and the ones I _do_ tell her she has to practically drag out of me.  But she never pries, never sneaks around behind my back trying to find the answers I won't give her.  It seems she trusts me a lot more than I trust her._  Sage sighed, then resolutely pushed the guilt aside.  _First things first._  

      It took a few minutes to set everything up in the guest bedroom, but finally he was ready.  A single pillar candle burned on a low table, the only light in the otherwise darkened room, and a thin curl of incense smoke drifted lazily into the air.  Sage knelt on the mat he had spread over the floor and took several deep breaths, clearing his mind and centering his spirit, preparing himself for the task ahead.  When he felt he was ready, he undid the latch and opened the box.

      The little cherrywood box was lined with deep green silk --- Sage remembered wondering once if the color was different for each of them --- and a small metal disk engraved with the stylized lightning bolt of the Halo emblem was affixed to the underside of the lid.  The boxes had appeared right after they had accepted their new armors; a final gift from Suzunagi, he supposed.  His kanji crystal rested inside, gleaming softly against its silken bed.

      Sage reached out and gently stroked the orb with a single finger.  Instantly it sprang to life, glowing a vibrant green as the kanji _chi_ --- wisdom --- appeared inside it.  Even after seven years, it still responded.  Sage sighed quietly.  He had hoped he would never have to use the crystal again, but it was the only chance he had now.  All their previous efforts to find Ryo had failed.  It was time to try another way.

      The psychic bond between the Ronins was still strong, Sage knew.  He had seen proof enough of that over the past few weeks.  But try as he might, he could not sense Ryo, not even in deepest meditation.  Something was blocking him, and Sage was certain that it was the Devourer.  The kanji crystals were powerful; they had led the other Ronins to him when he had been a prisoner in Shikaisen's subterranean lair, and Cye's armor orb had even teleported him from Japan to Tanzania when the rest of them had been in danger.  Sage hoped now that his orb was strong enough to bypass the Devourer's barriers and let him contact Ryo directly.

      At any rate, he was about to find out. 

      He lifted the orb from its silken nest, cradling it in his palm as its green luminescence threw shadows across his face.  Closing his eyes, he let himself sink into the quiet of deep meditation.  His senses opened; his awareness expanded.  He felt the power of the crystal in his hand and he focused on it, shutting everything else out.  _Ryo,_ he thought.  _Help me find Ryo._

      His spirit drifted free of his body, winding through a misty limbo.  _Ryo!_ Sage called.  In his mind's eye he formed an image of his friend, of the fire that burned within Ryo's soul.  _Ryo, can you hear me?  Where are you?_  He reached through the mist, searching, calling.

      Suddenly he felt something --- a tentative touch.  But where had it come from?  He focused his spirit and reached out more strongly.  _There!_  He could see and feel it now; the crimson aura of Wildfire, oddly muted.  _Ryo!  Ryo, is that you?_      

      _Sage? _came the lethargic answer.  _Oh, God, Sage, what have you done?_

_      I had to find you.  Don't worry, we're going to get you out of this.  Are you all right? _ Why did his friend seem so weak?  He reached out farther, trying to penetrate the dark gray fog surrounding Ryo's spirit, but to his surprise Ryo shrank away from his touch.  _Ryo, it's okay.  Let me help you,_ Sage reassured him.

_      No, Sage, go back.  You have to go back _now_,_ Ryo insisted, suddenly agitated.  _You can't help me, none of you can.  Please, just go back before it's too late!_

_      I'm not going to just abandon you,_ Sage replied firmly, puzzled by Ryo's fear.  What the hell had that demon done to him?  _Tell me where you are, Ryo._

      _Sage, look out ----_

      The black web descended on him without warning, snaring him in its coils.  He struggled to free himself, but the web only tightened as a cruel laugh echoed in his mind.  _Welcome, Sage of Halo,_ a sepulchral voice told him.  _I've been waiting for you._  Sage knew the voice, and it was then that he realized he had made a potentially fatal blunder.

      _I am in a LOT of trouble,_ he thought.  

      _Thirty-two…thirty-three…thirty-four…_

      Carey's head whipped around as she whirled through _fouetté _after _fouetté_.  Strands of her hair escaped their bun and her leotard clung to her back in wet patches, but she kept turning, her free leg lashing around her with a barely controlled savagery as the crashing chords of Tchaikovsky's "Black Swan" finale filled the room.  She had always loved the character of Odile; the seductive power and energy and _wildness_ of the Black Swan was, in her eyes, much more exciting than the innocent passivity of other ballet heroines…and right now it fit her mood perfectly.  Of course, she was completely ignoring the rest of the choreography, but what the hell --- it was the only way she could think of to distract herself from the dark cloud of anger and frustration that seemed to be her constant companion these past few days.  Hopefully a good, hard workout would take the edge off and lessen the hurt a bit.

      Or, failing that, maybe she could at least _fouetté_ herself into insensibility.

      _Thirty-nine…forty…forty-one…forty-two…_

      Of course, for that to happen, she would have to get tired…and therein lay the problem, she thought with a frown.  Her stamina and speed seemed to have increased dramatically lately, and she had no idea why.  She wasn't doing anything different beyond her usual daily workouts --- except the weapons training with Sage.

      _Forty-eight…forty-nine…fifty…fifty-one…_

      The weapons training…Carey's frown deepened as she recalled the fight in the Date dojo.  She hadn't even been studying swordfighting for a year, and yet she had taken down a _kendo_ master.  Through unorthodox methods, to be sure, but still --- _I defeated a master swordsman, a Grand Champion, a freaking _legend_, for crying out loud!  And that was _after_ I had managed to keep up with him for an hour and a half of hard practice!  I'd never picked up anything but a prop sword before I met Sage, and yet I've become an expert practically overnight --- a few lessons with him and it feels like I've been a swordswoman all my life.  Why?  Why do I think this is all happening for a reason?  Why do I feel like I'm going to need those skills, and soon?_

_      And why the hell have I just done sixty-five _fouettés_ without having to call the paramedics?_

      She whirled into a triple pirouette, then finished in a sharp, clean fifth position on pointe with her head held high and her arms curving regally over her head…_and I'm hardly even breathing hard,_ she thought in a mixture of amazement and dismay._  What's happening to me?_

     The sound of applause startled her, and she turned to see Jason Date standing in the doorway clapping enthusiastically.  "_Brava_," he said with a smile.  "If you can do that, then Masuhiro has no right to complain that you don't practice _kendo_."

      "Mr. Date," Carey stammered.  "I-I didn't know you were in town."

      "Well, I was here visiting a colleague for the day, and I decided I'd come see what my future daughter-in-law did for a living.  And please, Carey, call me Jason."

      "I thought that was a _faux-pas_ in Japan," Carey replied, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

      Jason Date chuckled.  "It is," he admitted ruefully.  "But even after living here for over thirty years, there are still times when I really miss American informality."

      Carey turned off the CD player, then reached for her towel and began to mop her face and arms.  "I wish I had known you were here.  Sage is in Hagi for Cye Mouri's mom's funeral.  He should be back tonight, though."

      "You didn't go?"

      "I wanted to, but I had to dance the past couple of nights, and there wasn't anyone else who knew the role.  And besides…Sage and I need some time apart right now," Carey explained, lowering her eyes.  "We're having a few problems, and we just need some space to work them out."

      "I know," Jason replied quietly.  "That's why I came to see you.  I didn't get a chance to talk to you while you and Sage were at the house last weekend, but I noticed the strain between the two of you.  I was hoping there was something I could do to help."

      Carey shrugged, avoiding that piercing lavender gaze so much like Sage's.  "It's…it's okay, really.  I guess it's just something we have to hash out between ourselves."

      Jason smiled sympathetically.  "He's giving you the cold shoulder, isn't he?"  At Carey's startled look, he added, "Carey, Sage is my only son.  He's a good man, I'm proud of him, and I love him dearly.  None of which blinds me to the fact that Sage can be a royal bastard when he puts his mind to it." 

      A reluctant smile tugged at Carey's lips.  "That's not a very nice thing to say about your own child."

      "Maybe not, but it's the truth.  Look, I know my son a lot better than he thinks I do.  Most people, when they're scared or hurt or unhappy, will reach out and cling to someone.  Sage does just the opposite --- he pushes people away.  The unhappier he is, the more he isolates himself."

      "I know, I've seen it," Carey said softly.  "But…oh, hell, who am I kidding?  I'm just as bad as he is."  She brushed a strand of her hair out of her face and her shoulders drooped in dismay.  "I just don't get it.  We're getting married in a month and we can barely say two civil words to one another.  Why don't any of the wedding manuals ever cover this?"

      Jason sat down on the bench and regarded the young woman thoughtfully.  "This is hard on you, isn't it?" he said after a moment.  "Marrying into a completely different culture, leaving everything familiar behind, having to face a whole new way of life.  I know what it's like, Carey, I've been there."  

      Carey sighed.  "Well, I chose this," she admitted.  "I don't have anyone to blame but myself."  She looked over at Jason.  "I turned him down the first time, you know."

      "The first time?"

      "It was last summer, right after Sage brought me home to meet all of you for the first time.  I was going to Seattle to teach at a summer intensive.  The night before I left, Sage asked me to marry him…and I told him I couldn't."

      "Why?"

      "I was homesick, and the company in Seattle was planning to offer me a job as one of their principal dancers.  I loved Sage with all my heart, but I knew his grandfather disapproved of me.  I thought that if Sage married me it would cause a huge rift between him and the rest of you, that he might even be cut off from his family, and I couldn't let that happen because of me.  He tried to tell me that it didn't matter, but I was afraid to take the risk.  I turned him down and left for Seattle, never intending to come back."

      Jason's eyes narrowed slightly.  "This company…which one was it?"

      "Pacific Northwest Ballet."

      "I've heard of them.  Quite prestigious," he mused.  "Did they offer you that job?"

      "Yes," Carey replied quietly.  "And since then I've also had offers from American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Ballet…and I turned all of them down."

      "Does Sage know about this?"

      Carey shook her head.  "He knows about Pacific Northwest, but not the others.  I didn't tell him because I didn't want to put that kind of guilt trip on him."

      "Three of the top ballet companies in the world wanted you.  You could have had international fame…but instead you chose my son," Jason said.  "Do you think you made the right choice?"

      "I don't know anymore," Carey said helplessly.  "I love him so much, but lately it just seems like everything's falling apart around us.  I feel like we're strangers, like I don't really know him and maybe I never did."  She flopped down onto the bench next to Jason and planted her elbows on her knees, staring unhappily at the floor.  "We're fighting over things that are really kind of stupid when you think about it; any little thing seems to set us off.  I don't want to live without Sage, but lately I'm not sure I can live _with_ him either, and I'm just so confused!" she finished in a rush.

      "Sounds like my own wedding," Jason commiserated.  "The last few weeks before we got married, Megumi and I were arguing about everything.  If I said black, she said white.  Masuhiro wasn't helping any --- he tolerated me because I was Megumi's choice, but he made no secret of the fact that he thought his daughter was marrying well beneath her.  The irony of it is, my family is even wealthier than the Dates.  I was born Jason Halloran; my family headed The Halloran Group."

      "The international investment firm?" Carey asked in astonishment.

      "The very same.  We're talking Fortune 500, the Forbes list, Ivy League colleges, endowments for the arts --- A-listers all the way.  I went to Stanford, graduated with honors, was one of L.A.'s most eligible bachelors.  But I wasn't good enough to marry the heiress to the noble Date name."

      Carey blinked.  "Let me get this straight.  You gave up the privileged lifestyle of one of the wealthiest families in America in order to become a policeman and _kendo_ master in an average-sized Japanese city?"

      "Yup.  And I never looked back," Jason affirmed.  "You see, I figured something out.  I realized that as unhappy as I was with Megumi at that moment, I'd be a hell of a lot more unhappy _without_ her.  This too shall pass, Carey.  It did for me and it will for you.  Look, I'm not going to lie to you.  Life for you and Sage isn't going to be easy --- marriage never is.  You both come from very different worlds, and you're going to have to find a way to merge those worlds, and, yeah, it's going to be difficult at times.  But the two of you have something going for you that a lot of people don't…you have a love so strong and so real that nothing else is important."   

      "But is it enough?" Carey wondered.  "We had a big argument a couple of days ago. Sage's been under a lot of stress because of this situation with…Ryo, and he had had a really bad night --- he woke up in the middle of the night screaming, like something had scared the hell out of him.  But when I tried to get him to tell me about it the next morning he just…snapped.  He started yelling at me, accused me of clinging to him; he said he was sick of feeling like he was in therapy."

      "He _what_?" 

      "Those were his words, not mine.  I got so mad I just walked out of the apartment without another word --- although I know I slammed the door hard enough to make up for it," Carey admitted ruefully.  "Since then we've been kind of edging around each other, and every time one of us tries to get closer the other one backs away.  It's like there's a wall between us, and neither one of us knows how to bring it down."

      "Carey, back up a second.  Sage _yelled_ at you?" Jason asked incredulously.

      "Yeah."

      "My icy, proper, unflappable son _lost his temper_?"

      Carey nodded miserably.

      Jason Date threw back his blonde head and began to laugh heartily.  Wrapping an arm around Carey's shoulders, he pulled the startled girl to him in a hug.  "Oh, Carey --- I was right all along."  He smiled at her confused look.  "I remember the night Sage brought you to meet us for the first time.  You looked to me like a delicate little doll that might blow away in a strong wind, but in the space of the evening you told off Masuhiro, declared war on Yayoi, and caused Sage to pronounce us all hypocrites before he stormed out after you.  Do you know what I said to my wife that night?"

      " 'Oh, no, we're doomed'?" Carey suggested.

      "Not even close.  After the two of you had gone, I looked at Megumi and said, 'If Sage doesn't have the sense to marry that girl, I'm going to kill him.'  And do you know what she said to me?"  Carey shook her head.  " 'Get in line,'" Jason replied.  

      Carey considered this for a moment.  "Then --- you _wanted_ him to marry me?  I was sure you'd be set against it, especially after that incident with Yayoi and that picture," she said hesitantly.

      "Carey, believe it or not, you are exactly what I've always wanted for my son.  All his life, Sage has had people telling him what he should do, what he should be.  He should be proper and restrained and dutiful; he should bury his emotions and pretend they don't exist, because that's the way a warrior is supposed to behave.  He should be willing to give up his own dreams in order to preserve the family legacy, otherwise he's a failure and a disgrace to the Date name.  But no one has ever told him that he's fine just the way he is, that he's worthy of love in his own right…no one until you.  Sage has so much fire, so much passion in him; he needs a woman who can match that fire rather than smother it.  Someone who'll look him in the eye instead of looking up to him."

      "That's a little hard to do, considering that I'm 5'4'' and he's almost six feet tall," Carey replied wryly.

      "You know what I mean.  Masuhiro wanted to marry my son off to some traditional demure Japanese girl raised on duty and responsibility.  But Sage is going to have enough duty and responsibility ahead of him; he needs someone to remind him that there's more to life than that.  He needs someone to remind him that he's a human being, too."

      Carey sighed.  "I guess.  But…we fight, and he hurts me, and I forgive him.  And then we fight again, and he hurts me again, and we just keep going in circles like that.  Why do I always have to be the one to forgive?  He has his pride, but so do I.  Why is mine always less important?"

      "Is it?" Jason asked.  "You mean Sage has never apologized to you, never opened his heart and set his dignity aside?  What did he say when you told him that you were turning down the Seattle job and coming back to Japan?"

      Carey looked at the floor.  "Uh…well, I, um…I _didn't_ tell him," she confessed sheepishly.  "I meant to, but I knew I had hurt him, and I was afraid he wouldn't want to see me."

      "You mean you gave up that job and came back here not even knowing if you could patch things up with Sage?  How did he find out?"

      "A friend of mine tricked us into meeting three weeks after I got back --- he told me he wanted to rehearse and he told Sage he wanted to talk to him about a _kendo_ competition."

      "I see.  And what was Sage's reaction to this little deception?"

      "Um…he fussed at me for a few minutes.  And then he asked me to marry him again."  Carey bit her lip and looked chagrined.  "I just blew my argument out of the water, didn't I?"  She shoved a stray lock of hair from her face with a frown.  "You know, it's weird.  Listening to you, thinking about everything that's happened lately…maybe it's prenuptial paranoia, but why do I suddenly feel like it's not Sage and me doing this, but something else?  Like --- maybe something is trying to break us up on purpose?"  She shot a rueful glance at Jason.  "That really sounds crazy, doesn't it?" she asked apologetically.  "Mysterious outside forces with a sinister plan to ruin our wedding --- sheesh.  Next thing you know I'll be ranting about aliens infiltrating the government and controlling our minds through radiated wasabi or something."

      Jason chuckled.  "Which would explain a lot, really.  You wanted to know if love is enough --- well, let me put it this way.  It was enough to make my dutiful, logical son willing to walk away from the position he's been groomed for since he was born.  It was enough to make you give up the career offer of a lifetime.  And it was enough that you both followed your hearts and neither one of you gave a damn who disapproved."  He took Carey's small hands between both of his and looked her straight in the eye.  "You and Sage _chose_ each other, Carey, and you did it for a reason.  Maybe it's time you both remembered what that reason was."

      "Or maybe it's time we found out," Carey said, so softly Jason barely heard her.  She sat for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face.  Then, with the speed of a woman accustomed to quick changes, she pulled a pair of loose-fitting pants over her tights, scooped up her bag and headed for the door.

      "Where are you going?" Jason asked.  

      Carey paused in the doorway and looked back at him over her shoulder.  "Home," she said decisively.  "And Jason --- _gracias_."  Then she was gone.

      The Devourer's evil power wrapped around him, sending shocks of pain through his spirit, and try as he might Sage could not break free.  _Fight all you want,_ the demon told him, _it won't save you.  I told you that you would come to me._

_      No!_ Sage replied defiantly, straining fruitlessly against the cruel bonds.  God, how had it gotten so _strong_?  _I don't know what you did to Ryo, but I'm not going to let you win!_  

      The Devourer chuckled viciously, and to Sage's shock it began to pull at his soul like a fisherman reeling in his catch.  _Do you really think you can stop me?_ it asked scornfully.  _You overconfident fool.  You played right into my hands by sending your spirit out unguarded.  Now I have you trapped and there's no one who can help you._

_      No!  Ryo, help me! _Sage pleaded desperately, even though he couldn't sense Ryo anymore --- he couldn't sense anything but the demon's black, choking evil.  A wave of agony hit him; he fought it off, but more followed and it was all he could do not to crumple beneath them.  Was this what Ryo had had to endure all this time?  _Ryo!_ he cried.

_      He won't help you…he belongs to me,_ the Devourer said triumphantly.  _And none of your friends will be able to reach you in time.  Soon I'll have your soul and your power with it, and then nothing will be able to stop me.  You are mine, Sage of Halo.  You are _mine_!_

Sage fought the monster's grasp with all his strength, but the Devourer was incredibly powerful.  In a moment of soul-freezing horror he saw the Devourer's true nature; he felt its greed, its hunger to consume him.  He _knew_ it…and worse, _it_ knew _him_.  He was helpless and exposed beneath the dark energy, his defenses stripped away.  The demon dragged him relentlessly toward its black maw, and he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the thin lifeline holding his body and soul together would snap.  The monster would engulf his soul, leaving his body an empty, lifeless shell.  _Carey…_how would she feel, coming home to find his abandoned body?  _No!_  Sage cast his thoughts out frantically, hoping that one of the other Ronins would hear him and somehow come to his aid.  _Someone, help!  Cye!  Rowen!  Kento!  Anybody!_

_      HELP ME!_  

      Carey unlocked the door and walked into the apartment.  The lights were on, and Sage's car keys were on the table where he always left them.  "Sage?  I'm home," Carey called.  There was no answer.  "Sage?"

      The apartment was silent, and Carey just stood there for a moment, wondering what to do next.  An odd feeling of unease had been prickling at the back of her neck ever since she had left the studio, and now it was pulsing in her ears like a slow drumbeat.  _Something's wrong…something's wrong…something's wrong…_  She shook her head with a small, derisive laugh.  Sage was probably in the shower, or he might even have gone to bed already…it had been a long trip from Hagi, and he was probably tired.  _Honestly, I really _am_ getting paranoid._  Carey dropped her dance bag on the floor and headed for the bedroom, trying to ignore the steadily increasing cadence of warning.

      _Something's wrong…something's wrong…something's wrong…_

      The bedroom was empty, the bed as neatly made as it had been this morning.  Sage's suitcase sat by the closet door, still closed.  Carey frowned to herself.  It didn't even look like Sage had unpacked yet…so where was he?  He hadn't been in the kitchen, and she hadn't heard water running in the bathroom, which left only one place.

      She knocked gently on the closed door of the guest bedroom.  "Sage?  Honey, are you in there?"  No reply, and Carey's frown deepened.  "Sage, is everything all right?"  Just then she caught a faint, familiar scent…_incense,_ she realized, and relaxed.  Sage was meditating, and she knew he would not like being disturbed.  It was an unspoken agreement between them; he did not disturb her practices and she did not interrupt his meditations.  But that drumbeat of warning was galloping urgently now, and she could not make it go away.  _Something's wrong something's wrong something's wrong…_

      "Oh, hell," Carey muttered aloud.  "Well, maybe I can just look in on him without him noticing…after all, he does get pretty wrapped up in his meditations sometimes."  She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it as silently as she could.

      _HELP ME!_

      Carey gasped and clutched the doorframe.  The desperate cry had hit her like an arrow between the shoulder blades; it echoed in her ears and it took her a moment to realize it had not been said aloud.  _Then how…?_  Not even bothering to be subtle now, she threw open the door.  "Sage!"

      He was kneeling on the mat he used for his meditations, just like always, but there was nothing normal in the rigidity of his body or the faint choking sounds coming from his taut throat.  Carey ran to him --- to hell with their unspoken agreement.  "Sage!  Sage, are you all right?"  _Santa Madre_, was he having a seizure?  She took hold of his shoulders and shook him, first gently then a little less so.  "Sage, wake up!  Talk to me!  _Sage!_"

      Her arms closed around him, and that was when she felt it…_something_ in the room with them, something powerful and malevolent and hungry, something that wanted Sage.  It was like walking into the teeth of a hurricane.  Carey's lips curled back from her teeth in a feral snarl without her even realizing it; instinctively she knew that _this_ was their enemy, _this_ was the cause of all their problems.  An image formed unbidden in her mind --- a black web wrapped around Sage's bright soul (why it was green she had no idea), feeding greedily on his strength, pulling him away from her.  _No!  Sage!_

      At that moment something new roared to life within her, as if someone had thrown gasoline on a low-burning fire.  It was wild and fierce and dangerous; there was nothing to do but yield to it with a savage joy.  The flames engulfed her, filled her, became _part _of her, and she turned that newfound fury on her foe without hesitation.  _No!_ she told the alien presence ferociously.  _I will not let you have him!_  Her arms tightened around Sage's frozen body, and at the same time her mind's eye "saw" herself wrapped around him, a blaze of red holding him down like an anchor.  But the enemy was strong; she could feel it tugging relentlessly at both of them and she wasn't sure how much longer they could hold out.  _There has to be something connecting them, some link I can break.  But what?_  

      She had a strange feeling just then, as if someone was calling her but they were too far away for her to make out what they were saying.  _Something about a crystal?_  She looked down at Sage's hands.  His right hand was tightly clenched and cradled in the left, and suddenly Carey wondered if he was holding something.  Without releasing her hold on him, she pulled at the fingers of his right hand, trying to pry them open.  It was hard work --- especially since she still had Sage in a physical death grip as well as a mental one --- but she finally managed to force the rigid fingers apart.  

      A green orb the size of a large marble sat on Sage's palm.  It glowed as if lit from within, and Carey even thought she glimpsed something written inside it, a Japanese character she didn't recognize.  Somehow she knew that _this_ was what formed the link between Sage and their invisible foe.  She reached for it, only to jerk her hand back as something very like an electrical shock raced up her arm.  Their enemy kept pulling at them, and she could have sworn she heard it laugh.  _That does it!_  Snarling in rage, she grabbed the orb --- shocks be damned --- and hurled it viciously against the wall.  Immediately the unseen storm died away; the strange fire that had taken hold of her vanished and the choking web was gone.

      Sage went limp in her arms so abruptly she almost dropped him.       

      Kayura knelt on the cushion in her meditation chamber, her eyes closed and a small furrow of concentration between her brows.  She had been spending a lot of time in meditation lately, trying to find some clear answers to the Ronin Warriors' predicament.  She knew that if the Ronins failed to stop the Devourer, it would overrun the mortal world…and then it would only be a matter of time before it turned its sights on the Nether Realm.  She could not, would not let that happen. 

      The visions were frustratingly ambiguous, though, and she frowned slightly as they came to her again: a demon laughing as it stretched its claws over a shadowy form, black storm clouds forming over a sleeping city, a broken circle, a gate leading to darkness.  But lately she had seen something else; a large black bird --- a swan? --- with glowing golden eyes, and two flames, one captive in a cage of fog, one that slumbered waiting to burst into roaring life.  _What does it all mean?_

      The cry came suddenly, slicing into her visions.  _HELP ME!_  She sensed pain and fear, felt someone struggling.  She reached out a bit more, got the sense of the soul that had called her.  _Sage!_  Somehow he had become entangled in the Devourer's web, and not even his considerable psychic powers were enough to free him.  Unless someone intervened quickly, his soul would be drained from him, leaving him an empty husk.  But there was no way she could possibly reach Sage in time.

      But even as the thought formed, Kayura became aware of another presence…one she had sensed only vaguely before, one that suddenly ignited with determination and a newfound power.  Once more she had that strange vision of a black swan, its wings protectively outstretched, screaming in defiance.  _I will not let you have him!  _Kayura relaxed and settled back into her meditation as the puzzle became a little bit clearer.

      She could not help Sage…but there was someone else who could. 

      Sage suddenly felt another presence, fierce and determined.  _I will not let you have him!_  This new presence wrapped itself around him, anchoring him as it tried to pull him back to his own body.  He could feel its raw, blazing strength, a wildfire out of control…but it wasn't Ryo.  _Then who…?_  But there was no time to figure it out; the Devourer was still stronger than they were, and Sage realized despairingly that it was only a matter of time before the demon would engulf them both.

      _The crystal!  _It was their only hope --- they had to get rid of the kanji crystal forming the connection between him and the demon.  He couldn't move his paralyzed body, but maybe his rescuer could.  _Get rid of the crystal!_  He could feel the other presence straining, fighting to keep its hold on him, and he heard the Devourer laugh in triumph as it pulled them closer.  _Please!_ Sage begged his would-be savior.  _You have to get rid of the ----_

      The demon's grip on him was severed with the suddenness of a guillotine blade, sending Sage's soul slamming back into his body with a shattering impact.  The last thing Sage heard was the Devourer's scream of rage before his senses abandoned him.

      They came back in a confused rush, a tidal wave threatening to drown him.  It seemed to Sage that he could feel every emotion in the entire apartment building…the self-important glee of the man across the hall, who had just been promoted; the knife-edged anger of the arguing couple two floors down (within days they would file for divorce); the sleepy contentment of the little girl in the apartment above as her mother tucked her into bed; even the serenity of a pigeon on a window ledge nearby.  It all came at him at once, and he moaned weakly in pain beneath the onslaught.  He knew he needed to shut his empathy-sense off, but he had his hands full just trying to keep everyone else's feelings from driving him insane. 

        Something closed around him then, muting the flood of emotion like a curtain blocking a too-bright sun.  No, not a curtain, Sage thought dazedly --- like wings, black-velvet angel wings wrapped protectively about him.  Somehow he managed to find the wit to close down his extended senses enough that he no longer felt the emotions of everyone in the building, and it was then that he realized that there really was something wrapped around him; it felt like someone's arms.  His cheek rested against something soft and warm, and he could hear a steady throbbing next to his ear as gentle fingers caressed his hair and a voice murmured indistinctly above him.  But it was the _other_ feeling he got from this person that really caught his attention.  He sensed tenderness, worry for his safety, a passionate determination to protect and shield him.  And underlying all of it was an emotion so strong, so pure, so unshakeable that it took Sage's breath away. 

      _Love._

      Curiosity overcame him, and he opened his eyes a crack to see who his rescuer was --- then shut them just as quickly as a bright red light nearly blinded him.  A faint, involuntary whimper of pain escaped him as he realized he had not entirely closed off his "other" senses.  _Shut it down shut it down shut it down…_With an effort, Sage shut down the rest of his extended senses.  The "angel wings" vanished along with that strange, intense feeling of love, but the warmth of it still lingered softly. 

      "Sage?  Are you all right?"

      Sage groaned and sat up, a hand pressed to his aching head.  _Ohhh…that's the last time I try _that_ little stunt._  He felt battered, wrung out, drained both physically and emotionally...but at least he was alive.  _But how?_  Cautiously, he opened his eyes…and found himself staring into Carey's beautiful face.  And in that instant, he knew the truth.

      _She loves me.  Even with all the problems we've been having, even when I shut her out and lie to her and hurt her, she still loves me, enough to risk her own life saving me from the Devourer.  And that's why she came back to me in the first place, why she isn't off dancing in Seattle or Paris or somewhere.  Rowen was right…I've forgotten.  _The realization left him feeling both humbled and incredibly blessed.  

      "Sage?" Carey asked hesitantly.  In answer, Sage pulled her into his arms so tightly he feared he might hurt her, burying his face against her neck.  She didn't flinch, but returned his embrace just as fiercely.  They sat on the floor in the candlelit dimness, clinging to each other as if they would never let go.

      Finally Sage raised his head.  Brushing away tears he hadn't even realized were there, he looked into the eyes of the woman he adored.  "I think I've got some explaining to do," he said.      

_      The Devourer's howl of fury filled its lair.  So close!  SO CLOSE!!  It had almost had Halo, had been about to consume that bright soul and leave the body an empty shell…and then that _other_ presence had interfered.  It had drawn Halo back to the world of the living, and left the demon empty-handed._

_      No, the demon realized suddenly.  Not 'it'…_she_.  The woman, Halo's lover.  Somehow she had been strong enough to rescue him from the Devourer's clutches.  But how?  The Devourer frowned.  It had thought her harmless…but there had been no mistaking the surge of power that had torn Halo from the demon's grasp.  Something new had been awakened, and that woman was its source.  It still did not think she was any real threat, but nonetheless --- she would have to be watched._

_       The demon had miscalculated before.  It would not do so again._

      Sage flopped onto the couch with a deep sigh.  He had showered and changed, but somehow it hadn't helped.  He was exhausted, every muscle and bone and nerve fiber aching…and the real challenge was yet to come, he thought wryly.  How in the world was he going to explain _this_ to Carey? 

      "You even collapse gracefully," the object of his musings said as she emerged from the kitchen carrying two steaming cups of tea.  "Are you sure you won't consider a career in dance?"

      Sage smiled and gratefully accepted the cup she handed him.  "No thanks, love.  I had enough problems getting my family to approve of my current career."  Carey must have come straight from the studio, he realized; her hair was still up in its usual bun and she was wearing her practice outfit of leotard, warm-up pants and…"You're still wearing your pointe shoes," he observed in surprise.  Knowing how careful Carey was about her shoes, the sight of the scuffed, battered pink satin told him more than any words could have.

      Startled, Carey looked down at her feet as she joined Sage on the couch.  "I never even noticed," she said with an incredulous little laugh.  "I was in such a hurry I didn't even think about changing my shoes --- all I knew was that I had to get home."

      "I'm glad you did.  You saved my life," Sage replied.  He took another sip of his tea, then set the cup down and turned to face his fiancée.  "I guess I owe you an explanation," he said quietly.

      "Shhh…it doesn't have to be now," Carey reassured him, smoothing his blonde hair away from his face.  "I'm not really sure what happened back there, but it was obviously something big and bad…you look wiped out, sweetheart.  Whatever it was, it can wait."

      Sage was sorely tempted to agree with her --- right now he wanted nothing more than to just lay his head in her lap and let her stroke his hair the way he had always loved --- but he forced himself to stand firm.  "No, it can't," he insisted gently.  "For at least two reasons.  One is that you just saved me from a very hungry and now very angry demon, something even I don't know how you managed.  It knows about you now, Carey; for better or for worse, you've become a part of this.  You deserve to know exactly what it is you've been dragged into."

      "And the second reason?"

      A chagrined little smile crossed Sage's face.  "The second reason is that if I don't tell you now, I'll lose my nerve and chicken out completely," he admitted, then took a deep breath.  "This is going to sound really bizarre, but bear with me."  Haltingly, the story came out; his empathy gifts, the psychic bond between the Ronins, his plan to locate Ryo and his near-capture by the Devourer.  She didn't say a word as he spoke, but her golden eyes never left his face. 

      When the recitation was over, Carey sat in silence for a moment, her expression thoughtful.  "So you can actually sense what other people are feeling?" she asked finally.  "And the five of you can each tell when another is in trouble?"

      "Well, it's a bit more complex than that, but that basically sums it up," Sage replied.

      "And that green thing you were holding?  What was that?"

      "That's called a kanji crystal or an armor orb.  Depends on who you ask."  Sage looked at his lover.  "You're taking this awfully well."

      "Sage, I _felt_ that demon trying to grab you.  There's not much you can tell me now that would surprise me anymore."  Carey sighed, then looked up at him.  "Just answer one question for me.  Why didn't you _really_ want to tell me about the armors?"                

      Sage considered his words for a heartbeat or so.  "Because I was afraid to," he finally said softly.  "Carey, the reason I kept the truth about the armors from you wasn't because I don't trust you.  I do.  But I was afraid that if I gave you the whole 'I-was-a-teenage-mystical-warrior' story you'd think I was insane and you'd leave me again."

      "Do you think I'm that fickle?" Carey asked.  "I promised you that I would stay with you, Sage.  That's why I came back in the first place, and it's why I agreed to marry you."

      "I know.  But you agreed to marry me _before_ you found out about my secret identity.  I know I don't say it often enough, but I love you so much, Carey, more than I know how to put into words.  I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again --- the first time was bad enough.  It's not just that, though.  I also didn't want to tell you about the armors because…."  Sage bit his lip slightly, then squared his shoulders.  "Because I was afraid of _them_.  We haven't worn the Ronin armors for seven years.  In that time we've finally been able to see what it's like to live a normal life, one where we didn't have to face a new demon everyday, where we never had to worry that we might not live to see the next morning.  For the first time in years we could actually dare to think we had a future.  We found _peace_, Carey, and I for one didn't want to lose that, especially not after I fell in love with you.  I was afraid that if I told you about the armors, it would somehow bring them back into our lives and we'd have to fight again --- and this time we had a lot more to lose.  I wasn't willing to take that chance," Sage finished, then smiled wryly.  "I know it doesn't make much sense, but there you have it."

      Carey was silent for a moment.  Then she sighed.  "It's my fault, too," she admitted quietly.  "I was overreacting, letting myself get upset about nothing.  I mean, it's not like you were having an affair or anything like that.  This whole thing with the armors happened long before we met, and you thought it was over.  You never asked to be a Ronin Warrior; it was a painful time in your life, and I can't blame you for not wanting to relive it.  Besides, I've had some time to think these past few days, and it finally dawned on me that while you may be a mystical armored warrior for the forces of good, you're also still the man I love, the man I decided I'd rather live with than dance without…you're still _you_.  That hasn't changed.  And to be honest, I wasn't really even mad at you because of your secret.  I was mad at you because…because I'm scared."

      "Of what?"

      "Of the wedding, of this whole marriage thing."

      Sage blinked.  Somehow this wasn't the answer he'd been expecting.  "You're scared of our wedding?"

      "Well, yeah.  Aren't you?"  Not waiting for an answer, Carey went on, "You said something to me not too long ago --- that I was more concerned with the wedding itself than with who I was marrying, and in a way you were right.  I've kept myself so busy concentrating on the details of this wedding that I've been able to keep from thinking about what it really means.  But the other day I went for one of the last fittings on my wedding dress, and they told me to bring my veil and headpiece and any jewelry I'd be wearing --- the whole nine yards, so they could see how everything would look together.  I stood there staring at myself in my full bridal regalia, and all of a sudden it just hit me --- this was _real_, this was _happening_, I was getting _married!_  In just a few weeks I won't be Carey Navarro anymore; I'll be Mrs. Sage Date.  I'll be a wife, a future matriarch, a…a _grownup_.  And all of a sudden I'm just not sure if I'm ready."  She twisted her fingers nervously together.  "As much as I love you, as much as I _want_ to marry you and spend my life with you and raise a dojofull of Japanese-Hispanic rugrats and grow old with you --- there's still this little tiny voice in the back of my head that tells me to run as far and as fast as I can and never look back.  Not that I would," she added hastily.  "But just the fact that I've even thought about it…I hate myself for being such a coward and I guess I just needed to take that out on someone and, well, you were the closest target.  I'm sorry, honey," Carey finished in a small voice.

      Sage couldn't help it --- he started to laugh.  Carey's amber eyes widened in outrage.  "I'm glad you think this is so funny," she sputtered, and got up to leave.  Still laughing, Sage wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back down, and she squirmed furiously as a string of rather inventive Spanish epithets reeled from that lovely mouth.

      "Ow --- dammit, Carey, knock it off," Sage protested between chuckles, trying to catch the small fist angrily pounding his thigh without letting her go.  "I'm not laughing at you," he explained when he finally had her more or less restrained.  "I'm laughing at _myself_."

      Carey glared sulkily at him.  "Oh, yeah, that's a good one, Sage.  Why do I not believe it?"

      "No, really.  Do you realize that what you just told me is basically the same thing I told the guys just this afternoon?  Sweetheart, I know it sounds hard to believe, but I'm just as scared of this 'marriage thing' as you are," Sage told her honestly.  "Once we say those vows and exchange rings, my life will never be the same.  I won't be 'me' anymore; I'll be part of an 'us'.  Does that make any sense?" he wondered.  "What I mean is, soon my life won't be solely mine anymore.  Soon I'll have to share my life completely, or at least more than I ever had before, and I'm not used to that.  I know it's incredibly selfish, but there's a part of me that just doesn't want to deal with that kind of responsibility…it doesn't want to grow up."

      "Just like mine," Carey said.  She smiled.  "Oh, Sage…do you think our parents went through this when they got married?"

      "Probably.  We're just carrying on an ancient and time-honored tradition," Sage replied wryly, hugging her close.  Carey laughed softly and leaned her head against his shoulder, snuggling contentedly into his arms.

      "We don't have to grow up all at once, you know," Carey said after a while.  "We can still go out dancing until at least midnight and stuff the refrigerator with junk food."

      "And we can laugh ourselves sick watching bad movies and scandalize everybody by kissing in public," Sage agreed, joining in the game.

      "And waltz around the living room and make out in the back seat of the car," Carey added.  "Which I don't think we've ever done, incidentally."

      "That's because we both own compact cars," Sage teased.  "A couple of toy poodles couldn't make out in the back seat of either of our cars, much less two full-grown adults."

      Carey raised a dark eyebrow.  "Oh, you think?" she replied.  "Wait here."  She got up and disappeared into their bedroom.  When she reappeared a couple of minutes later, her hair was down and she had exchanged her ballet clothes for high heels, a tank top, and a skirt that could only be described as miniscule.  She scooped up Sage's car keys from the table and tossed them to him, and to his surprise he actually managed to catch them.  "It's a nice night," she purred with a seductive smile.  "Why don't we go for a drive?"

      Sage just sat there blinking for another second or two until her words sank in.  Then his tiredness magically fell away and he wasted no time in getting to his feet and following her. 

      No way was he going to pass up an invitation like _that_.

      _The Devourer paced the confines of its hideout, snarling in rage.  It sensed a new strength in its chosen prey; somehow they had bolstered their faltering bond, had regained their confidence in one another.  They had broken its subtle hold on them and were once more banding together to fight.  Once more the circle was whole…almost._

_      A feral smile curled the demon's lipless mouth.  Very well.  It had not been idle these past few days…far from it.  Centuries of imprisonment had taught it how to plan, and it was not going to simply wait meekly for the Ronins to stumble onto it in their own good time.  The Devourer was strong enough now that it no longer needed subtlety.  It had toyed with its prey long enough --- it was time to show these mortal fools just how powerful it had become over these past few weeks.  One of the warriors was still in its keeping; the rest would soon follow.  The demon had made sure of that. _

_      If it could not bring the Ronins to it one way…there was always another._

      Sage snuggled into the rumpled sheets, smiling languorously into the darkness.  Every muscle in his body felt heavy, weighted down with a delicious weariness that was nothing like the horrific drain of the Devourer's assault.  Carey lay curled against his side, fast asleep, a slim arm draped possessively across his chest.  Sage gently smoothed her tousled dark hair and his smile widened as he remembered exactly what they had done to get so tired. 

      First they had gone for a drive, a drive that had ended up at a dark, secluded lover's lane where Carey had proven to him that with a little ingenuity and flexibility, they could indeed make love in the back seat of his car.  On the way home, he told her about the nightmare he had had a few days earlier, the one that had sparked their big fight.  They had decided that the best way to get over the nightmare was to give it a much more pleasant ending…and _pleasant_ was putting it mildly, Sage thought with a soft chuckle.  They had been lovers for over a year, but she could still surprise him.  They finally made it to their bed, intending to get some well-deserved rest…but one kiss and they were reaching for each other like hormone-crazed teenagers again.  

      Sage's eyelids drooped and he yawned.  It was late and he really needed to get some sleep, especially after confronting the Devourer earlier, but somehow he didn't really want to close his eyes just yet.  It just felt so good to lie next to the woman he loved, warm and drowsy and safe, and enjoy a few moments of peace --- something that he instinctively knew was going to be in short supply in the very near future.  Their enemy was on to them now, and the stakes were about to get a lot higher.

      Sage frowned slightly as a memory came back to him…a bright red light hovering over him when he had been pulled from his unnatural trance.  Had he simply imagined it?  On impulse, he called up his energy-sight.  He saw the swirling, multicolored patterns of energy glowing in the darkness, his own aura pulsing a radiant green.  Most of the energy trails were faint and not of any importance.  But there was _something_ bright next to him…Sage turned his head and blinked in astonishment.  Carey's aura shone a brilliant flame-red, much brighter than it should have been.  It wasn't as bright as his or any of the other Ronins' to be sure, but it was still unusually luminous, especially for someone who had no special gifts, no mystical abilities.  Or did she?  Curious now, Sage probed a little deeper…and got his second surprise of the night.

      _Ye gods --- she's an empath and she doesn't even know it!_  Sage shook his head in wonder.  There was power there --- not as much as his, and it was raw and untrained, but it was definitely there.  _That's how she knew I was in danger, how she was able to save me from the Devourer!  How in the hell did she go this long without anyone seeing this?  For that matter, why didn't _I _see it?_  He smiled wryly to himself.  _Or maybe I did…it would certainly explain why I was drawn to her from our first meeting, why I've always felt so safe around her and why I let her get closer to me than anyone else ever has.  I let her teach me to _dance_, for crying out loud!_  He had to fight the urge to laugh out loud with sheer delight.  _Oh, Carey, Carey…will you ever stop surprising the hell out of me?  _Brava_, my love!  _ He decided to test his new discovery.  Keeping his own senses open, Sage concentrated on projecting feelings of distress and confusion --- not sharp or especially violent ones, just enough to be felt.

      Carey stirred suddenly beside him.  "Sage?" she murmured sleepily.  "What's wrong, honey?"

      "Nothing, _aisuru_," Sage replied tenderly, kissing her forehead as he quickly switched to projecting a sense of peace and safety.  "Go back to sleep, now…everything's all right."  Reassured, Carey nestled into his embrace and was asleep again in seconds.  But Sage lay awake a few moments longer, thinking.  _So…turns out my wife-to-be is an empath with an extraordinary affinity for swordfighting and enough power to save me from a soul-eating demon.  I can't shake the feeling that we were brought together for a reason, that Carey plays some role in what's to come.  I just wish I knew what that role was.  Little by little the puzzle is coming together…something big is about to happen.  The clouds are gathering, and it won't be long before the storm hits.  The question is, are we ready to face it?_  He looked at his sleeping lover and smiled.  _Somehow, I think we are._  _We may be missing our leader, but we have other allies.  And we're going to give this demon the fight of its life._

Sage yawned again, his eyelids suddenly too heavy to hold up any longer.  _But before we do that, I intend to get a good night's sleep.  _Still smiling, he tucked the sheet around himself and Carey, resting his cheek against her hair as he felt himself relax.  Then he closed his eyes and let sleep take him where it would.

      A low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance as clouds began to drift across the face of the moon.

***********************************************************************************************

_fouetté_: (_fway-TAY) _French, meaning "whipped".  The technical term is _fouetté rond de jambe en tournant,_ which means "whipped circle of the leg [while] turning".  The dancer executes a series of turns while whipping the working (raised) leg around to provide momentum, the foot closing in to the knee of the supporting leg. Can be done with one or more rotations in a single whip.  The best-known example of a _fouetté_ sequence is the famous 32 _fouettés_ performed by the Black Swan in Act 3 of Tchaikovsky's _Swan Lake._

_fifth position: _One of the basic positions of classical ballet; the feet are close together, one directly in front of the other so that the heel of one foot touches the toes of the other.  _Fifth position on pointe_ means that the feet are still close together, one in front of the other, but the dancer is on the tips of her toes with the heels touching. 

_Santa Madre:_ Spanish, "Holy Mother".

 _aisuru_: Japanese, "beloved".

**A.N.:** Don't worry, faithful readers; despite the preceding revelations, this story is NOT going to become yet another "Mary-Sue-gets-an-ultra-powerful-armor-and-saves-the-guys'-butts-not-to-mention-the-entire-world" fic --- I wouldn't do that to either of us.  :-p   And as always, I rely on your feedback to bring meaning to my otherwise worthless and drab existence. J


	11. The Hunt Begins

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

Chapter Ten: The Hunt Begins 

      It was difficult for Sage to keep from whistling as he strode down the hall to Matsuka's office.  The day was gray and gloomy and it looked as if a major storm was on the way, but as far as he was concerned the sun was shining brightly…after all, he hadn't felt this good in weeks.  And why shouldn't he?  His friends were once again united, he and Carey were reconciled (_and how_, he thought with a sly smile), and he sensed that they were getting very close to finding the Devourer and rescuing Ryo.  He was willing to bet that the demon had not escaped their psychic combat unscathed; it was only a matter of time before it got desperate enough to do something reckless.  And when it did…Sage allowed himself a tiny, ferocious smile.

      He knocked on Matsuka's partially opened door, not even waiting for her reply before he walked in.  "The Minoko photography exhibit is a go, and we've got five good possible spots for an overseas expansion," he told her.  "Personally, I'm leaning toward Rome or San Francisco; London is known more for antiques, D.C. is too eclectic, and New York already has enough art galleries.  We should have more detailed reports on actual locations by the end of next week, so it'll be easier for you to narrow the list down.  Oh, and don't forget you have that 1:30 appointment with Mr. Katsue from Hana High about that Career Day lecture.  I graduated from there --- wonder how much it's changed?" he mused.  Matsuka didn't reply, her attention focused on an object on her desk.  "Matsuka?"

      His boss just continued to stare at the object, and as he drew closer Sage realized with a start that it was the Devourer's mask.  "I should have gotten rid of it that first day," Matsuka finally said quietly.

      "Matsuka, are you all right?"

      Matsuka looked up, and Sage was taken aback by the hollowness of her eyes.  "I got a call from Mexico today," she said, still in that same toneless voice.  "Matt Sano, the man who sent us this mask --- he's dead, Sage."

      "Dead?" Sage echoed, surprised.  "How?"

      "He was murdered.  I just spoke with his assistant; the police found the body day before yesterday."

      "Oh, Matsuka, I'm so sorry," Sage said sympathetically.  "Is there anything I can do?"

      "I should have known," Matsuka went on, as if Sage hadn't spoken.  "I should have seen it that first day it arrived.  That mask is cursed, Sage.  The earthquake should have been a warning.  It should never have been sent here, should never have been taken out of its resting place.  And now a good man is dead because of this…_thing_."  She knocked the mask off her desk with a single, violent sweep of her arm, watching stonily as it rolled across the carpet to rest at Sage's feet.  "Why did he go back?" she demanded of no one in particular.   

      Sage automatically bent to pick it up, frowning thoughtfully at his boss.  Matsuka usually dressed even more impeccably than he did, with never so much as a hair out of place or a scuff on her Italian-leather shoes.  But today her suit jacket was askew and her normally perfect French twist had several graying hairs escaping from it.  And stranger yet, she was _slumping_ --- not once in the almost six years that he'd worked for her had Sage _ever_ seen Matsuka slump.  Then he realized what she had said.  "Back?  What do you mean he went back?"

      "He wasn't supposed to be in Mexico," Matsuka replied dully.  "He was on another assignment, but he went back to where he found that horrible mask.  It cost him his life.  They found him at the excavation site."  Her thin shoulders sagged even further and she seemed to shrink within herself.  "God, he didn't deserve this." she whispered.  

      _The excavation site…_It might have been a coincidence, but Sage wasn't going to bet on it --- if he had learned anything as a Ronin Warrior, it was to never give demons the benefit of the doubt.  Something was very, very wrong here, and Sage had a growing suspicion that it wasn't just the shock of Matt Sano's death.  But he needed more answers…"Matsuka, do you have a number where I can reach Sano's assistant?" he asked suddenly.  "We're going to have to notify the family, and they'll need help making arrangements to have his body returned."

      Matsuka nodded listlessly and handed Sage a piece of paper with a phone number scrawled on it.  "I've never had to do this before," she said in a faraway voice.  "He didn't even really work for the gallery.  How do I handle this, Sage?"

      "You don't have to," Sage replied gently but firmly.  "I'll take care of the arrangements, don't worry.  I know this has got to be a shock for you.  What do you want to do with the mask?"

      "Get rid of it," came the reply.  "Send it back to Mexico, throw it in the ocean, I don't care.  But I don't want to see it ever again."  Matsuka buried her face in her hands for a moment, and when she raised her head again she looked very old and tired.  "Oh, Sage, what's the use?" she asked hopelessly.  "Matt Sano died because his life revolved around _things_, things like that mask.  Is that how I'll end up, too?  You know, I've put practically my whole adult life into this gallery.  I don't have children or any family besides my husband.  What will I have when he's gone?  All I'll have are _things_."  She sighed, a sound that seemed to carry an infinite wealth of sorrow and weariness, then turned to stare out the window at the steel-gray sky.  "It's just not worth it anymore," she finished, then settled back into a melancholy silence.  

      A gust of wind rattled the window, and Sage's eyes narrowed in speculation.  Funny, but he didn't remember the weather forecasters predicting a storm…in fact, if he remembered correctly, today was supposed to be clear and sunny.  A memory came back to him: the streets of Shinjuku, almost a decade ago…dark clouds blanketing the city as unnatural lightning slashed the sky…and an ancient evil feeding on innocent souls.  He stretched out with his empathy-sense just a bit and frowned sharply at the thick fog of apathy and pain he encountered, a fog that was horribly familiar.  Suddenly the whole picture became terrifyingly clear.  Without bothering to excuse himself, Sage slipped out of the room and headed purposefully back to his office.  He had to find some answers, and he had to do it fast.  Lives were resting on it.

      Matsuka didn't even notice he was gone. 

      "It's like this all over the city," Carey said from where she curled against Sage's side on the loveseat.  The Ronins had gathered at Rowen's house to discuss the day's bizarre events.  "Company class today was like Valium Nation, and we only made it through two rehearsals before everything else, including performances, was canceled until further notice.  There's hardly anyone on the streets, and the few people I did see seem to be in a majorly advanced state of depression."

      "The police that came in for lunch today said they've had record numbers of self-inflicted 'accidents'," Kento related.  "Knives slipping, swallowing too many pills, stuff like that.  Domestic disturbances are way up, too."

      "Even the animals are affected," Cye said quietly from where he stood by the window, watching the trees lash about in the rising winds.  He had hurriedly left Hagi the night before, having heard Sage's desperate mental cry for help.  "In the past twelve hours there have been at least five accidents involving collisions with animals or birds.  An injured dolphin we were treating at the Institute died after it kept ramming repeatedly against the side of its tank.  It's as if they're trying to escape."

      "They probably were," Rowen replied grimly.  "Sage, your hunch about the storm was right.  It doesn't show up on any weather maps.  In fact, according to the university's meteorology department, skies are mostly clear.  They can't figure out why we're suddenly having extremely thick cloud cover and gale-force winds."  He smiled thinly.  "Of course, I couldn't give them the real explanation as to why their state-of-the-art instruments have all gone haywire."

      "Well, at least the Devourer learned from Talpa and didn't just wipe the city off the radar completely," Sage sighed.  He rubbed his eyes wearily with one hand, his other arm wrapped around Carey's shoulders.  "What I want to know is, how did it get so powerful so quickly?  I'm still reeling from last night."

      "And here I thought _I_ did that," Carey murmured so only Sage heard her.

      "We know it was strong to begin with," Rowen said.  "But it's like it skipped a step somewhere.  I worked up a timeline.  The Devourer got loose on the twenty-fourth of March, one month ago.  Ryo's disappearance and the first attack were over two weeks later on April tenth, followed by the fire on the eleventh.  There's a three-day gap before it went after Cye on the fifteenth, then two more days before it faced Sage on the eighteenth.  For a whole month it's only been able to control one person --- Ryo.  Suddenly, overnight, it's controlling an entire city.  Obviously its hiding place would be somewhere that would be a good source of energy for it.  But that doesn't explain this huge increase in its strength, the way it went directly from Step A to Step C."  

      There was silence for a moment, then Carey spoke up.  "That's because it didn't."

      "What?" Sage queried.  "What do you mean, 'it didn't'?"

      "Exactly that --- it didn't skip anything."  At the guys' puzzled looks, Carey went on, "I keep thinking about something that happened in rehearsal today.  The choreographer had me doing _pirouette_ into _arabesque_, but for some weird reason my balance felt off.  I thought it was my foot causing the problem, but Toshi pointed out to me that I was actually dropping my shoulder going into _arabesque_.  I just couldn't tell because it was my own body." 

      The Ronins looked mystified for a moment, then Rowen's eyes widened.  "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

      "Well, look at what's happening around us --- doesn't it look familiar?  The Devourer is an incredibly powerful demon and it knows what it's capable of --- I mean, when it tried to grab Sage last night, even _I_ felt it.  But it's been dormant for how long, centuries?  It's not going to launch its big offensive without a practice run or two.  It started with Ryo, to get its feet under it, so to speak.  Once it had him under control, the next logical step would be to stretch a bit more and take on…oh, let's say a small group.  Well, I don't know about you guys, but for the past week or so I've felt like there's been a huge black cloud hovering over me, kind of like you see in the cartoons.  Last night, though, it just vanished...only to show up hovering over everyone else this morning.  Don't you get it?" Carey demanded.  "We didn't see Step B because we _were_ Step B.  This thing's been getting stronger all the time; we just never noticed because we were so busy with our own problems, or at least what we _thought_ were our own problems.  But what we're seeing in the city now is the same exact thing we've all been going through since this demon escaped, just on a larger scale," she explained.

      "Wait a minute…you're saying that the _Devourer_ was behind all those problems we were having?" Sage wanted to know.  "But we'd have felt it if something was controlling us."

      "Would we?  This thing has been around practically since the dawn of time, Sage.  It didn't survive all those years by being obvious.  It's like teaching a dancer to hit a certain pose.  Yank her around and she fights you --- but move her slowly and subtly and you can mold her however you want," Carey pointed out wisely.   

      "It makes sense," Cye said slowly.  "The day Mum died I was in an utterly vile mood, and I remember thinking that it really wasn't like me --- I didn't even know exactly why I was so angry, but I couldn't seem to snap out of it."

      "And remember what you told me the day you and Carey had that big fight, Sage?" Rowen spoke up excitedly.  "You said you felt helpless, like there was something controlling you.  Well, what if there really _was_?  We thought the Devourer was just using Ryo to play us against each other.  But what if it decided to take a more direct approach?  It's encountered each of us and gotten our psychic wavelength --- what better way to warm itself up than by messing with that wavelength?" 

      "I'll be damned," Sage marveled.  "It's been manipulating us the whole time!" 

      "We were the dress rehearsal --- now it's time for the real show," Carey agreed.

      Kento slammed a fist on the top of an end table.  "That's it --- no demon messes with _my_ head and gets away with it!  I got enough of that from that creep Dais.  This monster's going _down_."

      "One problem, though…this thing hasn't just been practicing on us," Sage told the group solemnly.  "Do you remember what we said about the Devourer not being able to kill?  We're going to have to revise that." 

      All eyes turned to him.  "What do you mean?" Cye asked.

      "Matsuka got a call from Mexico today.  The guy who sent her the Devourer's mask, Matt Sano, was found dead at the dig site two days ago.  His assistant called this morning to let us know."

      "Suicide?" Rowen wondered.

      "I doubt it, not unless Sano was able to slice himself open from groin to collarbone and rip out his own heart."  As the others winced at the grisly image, Sage continued, "Matsuka didn't get a lot of details, so I called the assistant back and did some digging.  According to him, Sano was in Brazil, where he was supposed to be for another week, but for some reason he decided to go back to Mexico the day before he died.  Koishi --- the assistant --- said Sano wouldn't give a reason for going back, but he seemed preoccupied and kind of anxious.  Sano left for Mexico that afternoon, and that's the last time Koishi saw him alive.  Sano's body was found the following morning, stretched out on a slab at the dig site with its heart missing…and an obsidian knife by his head."

      "Just like an Aztec ritual sacrifice," Carey mused.  "Do the police have any leads?"

      "They think it was a gang of bandits that have committed several murders in that region recently.  But I've never heard of any bandits that kill like that.  Guns are usually much more efficient.  Plus, according to Koishi, all of Sano's personal effects were on his body when it was found.  Watch, ID, jewelry, wallet, even a pretty good amount of cash.  Not only that, there was a note.  That's why Koishi called Matsuka.  The note, which Koishi verifies is in Sano's handwriting, asked that Kazuhara Gallery be notified immediately in the event of Sano's death.  But here's the kicker.  Sano has an ex-wife and two teenage children, and Koishi says he was still on very good terms with all three of them.  Matsuka, on the other hand, is solely a business acquaintance.  But I had Koishi fax me the note, and it's very specific --- if Sano died, Matsuka was to be the first if not the only person notified.  The family wasn't even mentioned.  Oh, and there's one more thing," Sage added.  "When he found out that Sano never checked into his hotel, Koishi did some asking around.  Not many people remembered seeing Matt Sano, but the ones who did all said the same thing.  Just before Sano disappeared, he was seen with a tall, Oriental-looking man in his twenties with dark hair…and very vivid blue eyes.  A man whom no one has seen before or since," he finished grimly.       

      There was a heavy silence, then Kento exhaled noisily.  "This is _not _good."

      "It's the Devourer, it has to be," Rowen said.  "It somehow managed to infect Matt Sano enough to draw him back to the dig site, where it killed him.  But why him?  I mean, all he did was send you the mask, and besides, the Devourer passed him up the first time because he couldn't have given it that much power.  It's so clumsy it doesn't make sense."

      "Actually, it does," Sage replied.  "The Devourer wants the rest of us pretty badly, and it's getting tired of waiting.  It obviously has enough strength now that it doesn't see the need for subtlety anymore.  Like Carey said, rehearsal's over.  Sano's death served several purposes; it gave the demon a last good test of its manipulation skills, it upset Matsuka --- and remember, this thing is drawing power from her and everyone else in the city as we speak --- _and _it got our attention.  It didn't kill Sano for power…it killed him because it _could_."

      "We underestimated it," Cye murmured.  "The Devourer's been holding back on us."

      "And now it doesn't feel like it has to do that anymore," Carey agreed.  "Sano's murder, this weird storm, the sudden epidemic of depression…it's showing us just what it can really do.  It's calling us out."

      "Then it's time we answered," Rowen said.  He got to his feet and looked up at the ceiling.  "Kayura!" he called firmly.

      "Kayura?" Carey asked Sage in a whisper.  Sage smiled and put a finger to his lips.

       A column of shimmering white light began to form in the middle of the living room.  When it cleared, Lady Kayura stood there in her formal robes, _shakujo _in hand.  Rowen got straight to the point.  "Kayura, we've run out of time.  We're going after the Devourer _now_."

      "I know," Kayura replied.  "I've been waiting for your call.  It's good to see you all again."  She looked around at the gathered Ronins, then her eye fell on Carey.  "And this must be Carey," she added with a smile.

      Sage made the introductions.  "Kayura, this is my fiancée, Carey Navarro.  Carey, this is Lady Kayura, last of the Ancients and ruler of the Nether Realm."

      Carey blinked.  What did you say to someone who could appear out of thin air?  "Uh…hi," she finally managed.  She turned to Sage.  "This is just going to get weirder, isn't it?" she asked.  Sage just smiled sympathetically.

      Kayura stared thoughtfully at Carey for another second or two, then turned her attention to the Ronins.  "I've located the Devourer," she told them all.  "For whatever reason, it's suddenly dropped its magical shielding.  It's taken shelter at the Meiji Shrine."

      "Not too far from here," Rowen mused.  "We can get there in no time, especially since the traffic's light.  Damn, it's been right under our noses this whole time!"

      "All right, so now that we know where it is, why are we just standing here?" Kento demanded.  "Let's go blast it into little demon bits, get Ryo, and maybe even make it home in time for dinner!"        

      "Wait, Kento.  We can't just charge in and attack this thing, we're not at full fighting strength," Cye said.  "There's only four of us, remember?"

      Kayura smiled.  "No, there isn't.  You have your fifth."  All eyes turned to see what Kayura meant.

      "Um…why is everyone staring at me?" Carey asked suspiciously.

      Sage was the first to get the message.  "Oh, Kayura, no," he protested. 

      "You know I'm right, Sage," Kayura told him gently but firmly.  "In fact, I think youknow it better than anyone else.  You haven't told her yet, have you?"

      Carey slanted a glance up at her fiancé.  "People have been saying that to you a lot lately," she observed wryly.  "What haven't you told me _now_?" 

      "Kayura, you can't be serious," Sage replied, uncharacteristically ignoring Carey.  "She's never done this before; she has no battle experience."

      "Neither did you when you first went up against Talpa," Kayura pointed out.

      "Wait a second --- _Carey_ is our fifth?" Rowen asked.  "Kayura, how do you know this?"

      "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Carey wondered, looking from one to the other of them in utter confusion.

      Kayura looked directly at Sage.  "Tell her, Sage," she said quietly.  "It'll be easiest coming from you."

      Carey turned wide, inquiring eyes up to her fiancé and Sage sighed in resignation, knowing there was no easy way out of it.  "Sweetheart, do you remember what we talked about last night, that I was among other things an empath?" he said.  "Well, as it turns out…so are you."

      "What?" Carey exclaimed.  "But --- but how do you know?  How is that even possible?"

      "I don't know how it's possible, Carey, I just know that it is," Sage replied.  "As best I can figure out, you've always had this gift, but it's been practically dormant for most of your life.  But something happened last night to awaken it fully, because somehow you were able to tell that I was in trouble and needed help.  You said it yourself, honey --- you knew something was wrong and that you had to get home.  You didn't even stop to change out of your pointe shoes.  And then you somehow managed to save me from the Devourer.  The fact that you were able to sense the demon wasn't just that _it_ was powerful, but that _you _were…are," he amended.  Carey still didn't seem convinced, and Sage went on, "I know it's hard to believe, but think about it for a minute.  Remember the night we first met, how comfortable we were with each other from the very beginning?  And you've always been able to tell when I was in a bad mood, even before we started dating…I remember one time at the studio when you refused to start our lesson until you had dragged all my problems out of me.  I think on some level each of us has always known about the other, and that may even be what drew us together in the first place," Sage said.

      Carey stared at him for a moment, then a sound escaped her that might have been a small, disbelieving laugh.  "I was right.  This _is_ just getting weirder," she murmured to no one in particular.  "So say I believe you, and that I'm an empath just like you.  Is that why ---?"  She broke off, biting her lower lip slightly.

      " 'Is that why' what, love?" Sage prodded gently.

      "Well…all day long, every time I've been around other people I keep hearing this weird, I don't know, _chatter_," Carey said hesitantly.  "It's like I'm standing in a room crammed with people and they're all talking at once and I don't know who I'm supposed to be listening to.  Even when the room's completely silent, I can still hear it; I've downed about four Advil today trying to dull the headache.  Is that what this empathy stuff does to you?  Because I'm not sure I like it."

      "Nah, you're just crazy," Kento opined, then had to dodge the cushion Rowen winged at him.

      Kayura arched an eyebrow at him in a "you see?" look, and Sage's heart contracted painfully with remorse.  He was so used to his own gifts that he tended to take them for granted, including the ability to shut them off at will.  It hadn't occurred to him that a newly-awakened empath like Carey wouldn't have that ability yet.  The thought of her walking around all day unshielded and bombarded with the myriad emotions of whoever she happened to cross paths with horrified him; it said a lot about her inner strength that she hadn't gone mad from the assault.  "Oh, my God, darling, I'm so sorry," Sage told her softly, gathering her into his arms.  "I didn't realize you'd be this sensitive this soon.  You don't even know how to shield yet.  Yes, sweetheart, what you're feeling is your new gift coming to life.  But don't worry, I'll teach you how to shut it down when you need to so it won't be so painful.  Are you all right?"

      "I'm better now… I did eventually figure out how to tune it out a bit," Carey said.  "So I guess I'm just like you.  What exactly does this mean?"

      "In the larger picture, I'm not really sure," Sage said, relieved that she seemed to be accepting the news.  "For starters, you're not exactly like me --- your gifts aren't that strong yet, in large part because you haven't been trained to use them.  But it may explain why you've picked up on our weapons training so quickly and so well.  Which is a good thing," he added grimly, "because Kayura seems to think that you're supposed to help us take down the Devourer." 

      "_What? _ W-wait a minute," Carey squeaked, alarmed.  "As in, going into battle?  You know, when I said I wanted to help you with this demon situation, I didn't mean I wanted to pick up a weapon and actually _fight_ the thing!"

      "For what it's worth, I'm not happy about this either.  And I'm not about to take you into that snakepit until I get a damned good reason as to exactly why I should," Sage replied, fixing an implacable violet gaze on Kayura.

      Kayura met his gaze evenly.  "I've been meditating a great deal lately, trying to find the Devourer or at least to unravel some of this mystery," she said.  "During those meditations, I've seen the four of you and sensed the danger you were in; I've even been able to sense Ryo very faintly on occasion.  But I could also feel something else just starting to come to life, something I couldn't really get a handle on because it was still so hidden and unformed.  All I knew was that it wasn't evil, that it was connected to one of you, and that it would somehow be important later on.  Rowen, you remember --- I told you that there was a part of this equation that I couldn't identify."  Rowen nodded, and Kayura continued, "Last night, though, that 'something' woke up with a vengeance.  I felt that surge of power even in the Nether Realm, and I knew that it was directed at whatever was threatening you, Sage.  And when I met Carey just now, when I saw her aura, I knew only she could be its source."  She turned to look at Carey.  "You've felt a difference in yourself, haven't you, even before last night?  You're stronger, faster, your senses are sharper; you're able to do things you never thought you could before."  Carey nodded mutely, wide-eyed, remembering sixty-five _fouettés_ in a row.  "It's as I thought," Kayura told her.  "Your bond with Sage probably started removing the block on your own gifts, and his peril last night caused you to break through the rest.  You're changing, finally coming into your own.  I know it's strange and rather unsettling, but trust me, Carey --- you're becoming what you were always meant to be."

      "So what are you saying?" Rowen queried.  "Do you mean that Carey's a Ronin Warrior, that she's meant to take Ryo's place?"

      "No, simply that she's gifted," Kayura replied.  "It may be many years before she reaches her full strength, if ever.  But you need five to defeat the Devourer, and unless you know anyone else who could fill in I'm afraid Carey is your best choice."      

      "Oh, no!" Kento protested loudly, and everyone turned to look at him.  "No way, Kayura!  No way in _hell_ are we taking _her_ along!"

      "Kento, I can understand your misgivings.  But I've seen this in my visions.  You need Carey to complete the circle.  You have no chance against the Devourer without her," Kayura said calmly.

      "Yeah, well, your visions are _wrong_," Kento insisted, stubbornly folding his arms across his broad chest.  "She's not one of us.  I mean, what's she gonna do, tippy-toe the Devourer to death?  She's useless, she'll only get in the way, and I'm not gonna spend my time babysitting her when Ryo needs us."

      "Uh, Kento?" Sage interjected, seeing Carey's eyes narrow ominously.  "I really don't think that's a good --- "

      It happened so fast none of the Ronins actually saw it.  One moment Carey was standing by Sage's side, and the next she had knocked Kento back into his seat, one hand gripping his shirtfront and the other holding a knife under his nose.  " --- idea," Sage finished lamely, then did a double take.  "Carey, what are you _doing_?  Let him go!"

      "Sage, I've had enough of his insults and his snide comments!" Carey snapped back, her amber eyes boring fiercely into Kento's.  "I may not be a mystical armored superhero like the rest of you, but _nobody_ talks about me like that, especially not to my face.  So go ahead, _machisto_…tell me I'm useless _now_," she told Kento in a deadly voice.   

      Kayura, Cye, and Rowen could only stare in openmouthed astonishment.  Kento shrank back into his chair, his eyes crossing as he stared at the gleaming blade only centimeters from his face.  "Uh, guys…some help here?" he croaked.

      "What's the matter?" Carey asked with an acid sweetness.  "I thought you respected a show of strength.  Besides, a big strong man like you shouldn't be afraid of a weak little girl like me."  Kento gulped as the blade moved a fraction of an inch closer.  "Still think I need _babysitting_,tough guy?" Carey taunted him.

      Sage shielded his eyes for a moment.  "I don't believe this.  Carey, you _cannot_ kill him --- we need him to face this demon," he said sternly.  "Kento's sorry he insulted you, aren't you, Kento?"  Kento managed a tiny nod.

      "Can I hurt him just a little?" Carey wanted to know.

      "_No_.  You've made your point --- now let him _go_!" Sage insisted, and Carey sullenly complied.  "What in the hell is that, anyway?"

      Carey looked at the knife in her hand, then at Sage.  "It's a switchblade," she said matter-of-factly, as if he really should have known that.

      Cye snickered faintly.  Sage sighed and briefly closed his eyes in a silent prayer for strength.  "Of course it is.  How silly of me," he said quietly.  "Okay, Stupid Question Number Two: _why_ are you carrying a switchblade?"

      "_Amor de mi vida_, there's a murderous, soul-eating demon breathing down our necks and you have to ask _why_?" Carey replied with some exasperation.  Sage gave her a stern look and she shrugged, tucking the knife back into her jacket.  "Hey, I grew up around some pretty rough people.  Force of habit," she explained.

      Rowen and Cye collapsed onto the couch, howling with laughter.  Kayura pressed her lips tightly together, but her shoulders shook with mirth.  Sage and Kento glared at them, and Carey drew herself up to her full five feet four inches.  "I don't see how that's so funny," she said glacially, which made Cye and Rowen laugh even harder.  Carey gave them a disgusted look.  "_Pendejos locos,_" she pronounced with a disdainful sniff, then stalked regally from the room.

      Kento scowled as he brushed himself off.  "Jeez, Sage --- you're gonna have _kids_ with that psychopath?" he demanded.  "Just how well did you know her before you asked her to marry you?"  

      "Not as well as I thought, apparently," Sage replied thoughtfully, gazing after Carey.

      Kento snorted.  "No kidding.  Oh, by the way, thanks for the _help_ there, guys," he added with a pointed glower at Cye and Rowen, who were still laughing uncontrollably. 

      "Oh…oh, Lord have mercy.  Sage, you lucky bastard," Rowen gasped between chortles.  "Ohhh…that was absolutely priceless.  Man, Kento, I really wish you could have seen your face when she jumped you."

      "That tiny little thing…I've seen Kento eat snacks that are bigger than she is," Cye wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  "Oh, God --- the Swan Queen with a switchblade."

      "Well, you can take the ballerina out of the _barrio_…"  Rowen replied, grinning. 

      "If you two don't have anything intelligent to add to this conversation, would you please shut up?" Sage retorted, then turned to Kayura.  "I don't like this," he said flatly.

      "I know.  But you've felt her power, Sage," Kayura replied, her own mirth abruptly vanishing.  "Carey was strong enough to wrench you out of the Devourer's grasp without even knowing what she was doing.  Not only that, but she's been walking around all day essentially unshielded and yet she's still coherent enough to take on Kento.  You heard what she said --- she figured out how to shield without even realizing she was an empath.  I know she's not Ryo, but she _is_ a part of this…and she can certainly take care of herself.  I think she's proved that already."  Sage didn't look convinced, and Kayura went on, "Sage, I can understand your worry; I know how much you love her.  But you won't do her any favors by overprotecting her.  She needs to do this, to understand what she is and what she's meant to be.  You had your trial by fire, and while it was difficult it made you able to grasp and use the full range of your own gifts.  Carey deserves the same chance, and deep in your heart I think you know that."    

      "Kayura, all I know is that you're asking me to risk the life of the woman I love by taking her into battle.  So for all our sakes, you'd better be right about this…because, ally or not, if anything happens to Carey, you'll answer to me," Sage told her quietly, his eyes cold.  He turned on his heel and walked out of the room before Kayura could reply.

      "Bitch," Kento muttered, sulking.

      "Which one?" Rowen asked wryly.  "Admit it, Kento, you're just ticked because you just got your butt whipped by a size two."

      Kento scowled and started to reply, but Kayura interceded.  "Enough.  Gather the team and head for the shrine," she told them.  "I'll meet you there…there's something I need to do first."

      "Kayura, are you absolutely certain about this?" Cye asked.  "It's one thing to risk our own lives --- it's another to risk that of an innocent civilian."

      "I know.  But Carey has weapons of her own, Cye…and I don't mean a switchblade," Kayura answered.  "I saw her protecting Sage against the Devourer last night.  If nothing else, he will be her reason to fight; after all, love is one of the strongest weapons there is against evil."  A thought struck her, and she regarded Cye curiously.  "Cye…why did you call her the 'Swan Queen'?"

      Cye shrugged.  "Carey's a ballerina, and the Swan Queen is a famous ballet character.  It just came to mind.  Why?"

      "Well, it's just that…when Carey was defending Sage last night, I had this odd vision of a black swan, and it's not the first time, either.  Isn't that strange?" Kayura mused.  Without waiting for their reply, she vanished in a swirl of light.      

      Sage found his fiancée at the door to the backyard, watching the trees sway beneath the darkened sky.  "I'm not apologizing to him," Carey said without preamble, her arms folded stubbornly across her chest.

      "Somehow I didn't think you would," Sage replied with a wry smile.  He moved to stand behind her and gently placed his hands on her upper arms.  "Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

      Carey sighed unhappily.  "I don't know anymore," she said.  She stepped away from him, distractedly massaging her temples.  "Damn it, Sage, I don't understand any of this.  I mean, this whole thing is just too bizarre.  Two days ago everything was normal.  Now I'm hearing voices in my head and being told I'm supposed to fight demons.  Yesterday I was just a dancer, an ordinary person, and now I'm a --- well, what the hell _am _I, anyway?"

      "You're exactly what you always were," Sage replied firmly.  "Remember what you said to me last night, that being a Ronin doesn't change who I am, that I was still the same person you loved?  Well, the same applies to you.  Carey, my love, you've never been 'ordinary'.  You've always had these gifts, you just never knew they were there.  Now you do.  But so what if you're faster and stronger and able to leap tall barres in a single bound?  Tomorrow you'll still be hanging your wet tights all over the bathroom and getting the giggles every time you put on _kendo_ gear and stealing my razor and you won't get along with Kento to save your life."

      "He started it," Carey pointed out, but there was a small smile on her lips.

      "Yes, and I'm sure you've convinced him of the error of his ways.  And if you _ever_ do that again, I swear I'll put you over my knee…although I have to admit, the look on Kento's face _was _pretty funny," Sage admitted with a smile, wrapping his arms around Carey and drawing her back against him as he rested his cheek against her hair.  Silence fell for a moment as the wind howled outside.  "You don't have to do this," Sage said quietly, suddenly intense.  "No matter what Kayura says.  The four of us can handle this monster; I'd feel better knowing that you were safe here."

      "Don't tempt me," Carey sighed.  "Oh, who are we kidding, Sage?  I'm not going to be safe here or anywhere else.  You said it yourself: the Devourer knows about me now.  There's no safe place for either of us in this world until we take this thing down once and for all.  Besides, I can't just sit here and wring my hands while you guys go heroically charging off to save the world.  I have to _do _something…even if I'm not completely sure what yet.  I mean, maybe Kayura's right, and I'm meant for greater things.  Or maybe she's not.  But I won't know unless I try."  She turned and wrapped her arms around Sage's waist, burying her face against his chest.  "_Ay, Dios_, Sage, I'm scared.  I'm a dancer, not a warrior.  What if I can't do this?" she whispered.

      "Shhh…hush, darling, it's all right," Sage reassured her, holding her tightly.  "You may be a dancer, but you're a dancer with a sixth-degree black belt in karate and a switchblade --- and we're going to have a long talk about _that_ when all this is over --- and you've picked up in a few months sword skills that it takes most people years to master.  You have gifts whose full extent you don't even know yet…_and _you can kick not only my butt but that of a guy who's twice your size without even smudging your lipstick.  You'll do fine."  Carey giggled softly, and Sage went on, "You know, the first time I went into battle I was scared out of my mind.  One day I was just a regular high-school kid, and the next I was a Ronin Warrior, one of the 'Chosen Ones', destined to save humanity from the ravages of evil incarnate --- and I was only fifteen years old.  I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing or why I had been chosen or even how my armor worked.  None of us did, so we pretty much just made it up as we went along."  Sage chuckled wryly.  "Kind of ruins the mystique, doesn't it --- the chosen defenders of the mortal world basically ad-libbing like crazy."

      "Sounds like a couple of performances I've done."  Carey sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.  "This is all moving so fast."

      "I know, _koibito._"  Sage kissed the top of her head.  "Something else is bothering you, isn't it?" he asked after a moment.

      Carey lowered her eyes and smiled slightly.  "It's nothing.  It's silly, really…just something trivial."

      "Tell me anyway.  I could use some trivial silliness right about now."

      "Well…I was just thinking about what you said earlier, about how you were drawn to me because I was an empath like you."  Carey looked up at Sage, biting her lip slightly.  "I know it's stupid, and I shouldn't even be worrying about it at a time like this, but I just can't help but wonder if maybe that's why you fell in love with me…_because _I'm like you.  And if maybe that's the _only_ reason you love me," she finished softly.

      "Oh, sweetheart."  Sage hugged Carey close, rocking her tenderly.  "Carey, I didn't even know you were an empath until last night, and I found that out purely by accident.  I've loved you for a lot longer than that.  Look at me, darling." His violet eyes met her amber ones, and Sage lowered his own shields without hesitation.  He smiled as wonder and understanding mixed in her eyes --- this "empathy stuff" really did come in handy on occasion.  "Do you understand now?" he continued.  "I may have originally been drawn to a fellow empath, but I fell in love with a woman…I fell in love with _you_."  Carey smiled and drew his head down to hers, and they kissed lingeringly until they were brought back to the present by Kento's shout.

      "Yo, Sage!" the Warrior of Justice bellowed impatiently from the living room.  "If you and the Black Swan are done playing kissy-face in there, we've got some demon booty that needs kicking.  Come on, willya?"

      Sage sighed in exasperation.  "There are times when I could really hate him," he grumbled.

      " 'The Black Swan'," Carey murmured, then began to chuckle.

      "What's so funny?"

      "Odile --- the Black Swan --- has always been one of my favorite roles," Carey explained.  "I always thought she was much more interesting than any of the other classical female roles…plus I made my principal debut in _Swan Lake_.  So he thinks I'm the Black Swan, hmmm?  I like that."  She glanced up at Sage, her eyes twinkling.  "Just don't tell him that, will you?  I've got a reputation to uphold."

      "Your secret is safe with me, _kurohakuch­ō,_" Sage promised.  At Carey's mystified look, he added, "It means 'black swan' in Japanese."

      "Oh.  See, I'm saving the world and expanding my vocabulary at the same time.  Eat your heart out, Sailor Moon," Carey said smugly.  Sage laughed and took her hand, and they headed out to where Cye, Rowen, and Kento waited.  "Are we ready?" Sage asked.

      "We're ready," Rowen replied, and Cye and Kento nodded firmly in agreement.  Sage looked from one to the other of them, noting the determined expressions they all wore --- even Carey had the light of battle in her golden eyes.  His friends, his family…and a force to be reckoned with.  _Ready or not, Devourer…here we come._

      "Okay, then," Sage said.  "Ronin Warriors --- move out." 

      _They were coming.  Amid the darkness that engulfed the city, five --- _five?_ --- bright souls stood out from the rest, and they were advancing on the Devourer's stronghold.  The demon watched them for a moment, then called its minions --- lesser dark spirits, little more than slaves, drawn to its power like moths to a flame.  "We are expecting guests," it told them.  "Prepare a suitable welcome."  The dark spirits left to do their master's bidding, and the Devourer smiled in satisfaction._

_      It was time._

_      Finally._

_      It was time. _

      "Man, I don't care what Kayura says.  I can't believe we have to bring Xena the Ballerinaalong," Kento grumbled as the small group moved along the pathway to the Meiji Shrine.

      "_Cállate, guabino,_" Carey shot back, not even breaking stride as her hand moved threateningly toward her pocket.  "Don't make me have to hurt you this time."

      "Cut it out, you two.  Carey, put the knife away and leave it there.  Kento, leave her alone --- you already know what happens when you antagonize her," Sage ordered, then shook his head in annoyance.  "God, this is worse than a family road trip."

      Cye grinned mischievously.  "Are we there yet?" he whined.

      "He's over on my side," Rowen chimed in, giving Cye a playful shove.  Cye shoved back.

      Sage sighed and cast his eyes up to the heavens.  "Ryo, you'd better appreciate this... Next time I'll just leave all four of you at home and go demon-hunting by myself."

      "Where's the fun in _that_?" Kento groused.

      "Look at it this way, Sage," Cye said pragmatically.  "This is great practice for when you and Carey have kids and go on your first family vacation."  He laughed at Sage's look of undisguised horror.  

      "Note to self," Sage muttered.  "Stock up on duct tape."

      "Sage!" Carey scolded.

      "And tranquilizers," Sage added, unrepentant.  Carey shook her head.  "Remind me to never leave you alone with the kids," she said.

      "There it is," Rowen said suddenly, pointing at something ahead of them.  The warriors stopped and followed his gaze.

      The temple crouched at the top of the path like some sort of otherworldly beast waiting for its prey.  During the day it was a thing of beauty, a poem of elegant lines and curves, but in the unnatural darkness it seemed suddenly alien and threatening.

      Carey crossed her arms over her chest as if to ward off a sudden chill.  Sage had taught her how to shield her newfound empathy senses on the trip up, but she could still feel the evil surrounding the once-peaceful shrine.  "This is just so…_wrong_," she murmured.

      Sage slipped an arm around her shoulders.  "I feel it, too, _aisuru_," he said grimly.  "Let's keep going.  Kayura should be waiting for us."  They continued up the path, all of them now silent and watchful.  The wind tugged at them as the trees writhed in the storm-tossed gloom, and it seemed to Sage as if the branches themselves wailed in pain. 

      Kayura stood by the huge _torii_ gate that marked the entrance to the shrine, her robes and her long black hair whipping about her in the wind.  She looked from one to the other of the small group, her expression solemn.  "I should warn all of you," she said gravely.  "The Devourer isn't like any other demon you've ever faced, and you won't be able to defeat it the way you have the others.  It knows your weaknesses, and it won't hesitate to turn them against you.  You must be ready to face the darkest places within yourselves."

      The warriors exchanged glances, but it was Cye who spoke for all of them.  "Ryo needs us, Kayura.  We can't turn our backs on him," he said quietly.  "We're ready."

      "All right, then," Kayura replied.  "Call your armors."

      _"Armor of Halo!  Dao chi!"_

_      "Armor of Strata!  Dao inochi!"_

_      "Armor of Torrent!  Dao shin!"_

_      "Armor of Hardrock!  Dao gi!"_

      For the first time in seven years, the calls of the Ronin Warriors soared into the night.  The familiar bolts of silk whirled about Sage, Rowen, Cye, and Kento, exploding into a flurry of sakura petals.  When the blizzard cleared, four armored samurai stood before the gate.

      Carey's eyes were wide with amazement.  "That is just so cool," she breathed.

      "That was nothing --- wait 'till you see what these things can actually _do_," Rowen replied with a mischievous wink.   

      Kayura smiled faintly.  "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to show her what your armors can do.  But don't rely entirely on the armors…you'll need what's beneath them as well."

      "Wait, Kayura," Sage spoke up.  "Carey isn't armed --- or armored.  She won't be safe."

      "Yes, she will," Kayura replied.  She cupped her hands in front of her and a small, glowing sphere appeared in her hands.  "Carey," she said quietly, extending the sphere to the younger woman.

      Carey eyed the object dubiously.  It was certainly pretty --- red with shimmering black swirls --- but she wasn't entirely sure she trusted Kayura.  This whole thing was fast becoming more and more unreal, and she suddenly wondered if it was too late to back out.  After all, she wasn't really a warrior.  What good could she possibly do here?

      As if sensing her doubts, Sage moved to stand close by his lover's side.  "Go on, sweetheart," he said reassuringly, and Carey thought inconsequentially how much she loved the sound of his voice.  Forcing her mind back to the present, she took a deep breath and held out her hands.

      The sphere seemed to come alive the minute it touched her skin.  As the others watched in astonishment, a deep ruby light ran swiftly up Carey's arms, quickly enveloping her from fingertips to neck to toes.  When it cleared, Carey was clad in something that looked a lot like form-fitting black leather pants and a matching long-sleeved top with a surprisingly low neckline.  Black gloves with elbow-length gauntlets covered her hands, and she wore black boots with sturdy but oddly fashionable-looking heels, both of which were trimmed with red bands.  The _piece de résistance_, though, was the silver and red metalbustier and choker that topped the outfit.

      Rowen grinned at Carey's transformation.  "Someone's been studying the fashion magazines," he teased Kayura.

      "Who says armor has to be strictly functional?" Kayura retorted.

      Carey blinked in surprise as she examined her new outfit.  "Hmmm…kind of on the dominatrix side, but it's definitely a look.  Oh, my God --- I've got _cleavage_," she marveled, and Sage had to choke back a laugh.  Then she realized what Kayura had told Rowen.  "Wait a minute --- 'armor'?"

      "That's right," Kayura said.  "It's an energy-shield that acts just like the Ronin subarmors.  You've never worn full armor, so it would have been too dangerous to put you in something like the Armor of Wildfire.  Since your main defenses are speed and agility, I had to come up with a way to protect you that wouldn't weigh you down the way a full set of armor would.  This suit will protect you from injury without interfering with your own abilities."

      "It certainly doesn't _feel_ heavy."  Carey craned her neck in an attempt to peer over her shoulder.  "But what's this on my back?"

      "The Starlight Swords."  At the Ronins' looks of alarm, Kayura went on, "Don't worry.  They've been cleansed and purified.  They're completely free of any shred of Talpa's influence.  Besides, she does need a weapon, and she's used to something like this."

      Sage shook his head with a wry smile.  "I'm not going to ask how you knew that.  You're sure this will work?"

      "Positive.  Sage, I'm 438 years old.  I've learned a few things about magic _and_ armor crafting."

      "Okay, so let's test it out," Kento said suddenly.  Before anyone could stop him, he swung his iron bo full-force at Carey's unprotected head.  Sage yelled in alarm and Carey screamed, flinging up an arm to protect herself.  The bo struck her upraised arm --- and bounced off harmlessly.  "Well, I guess it works," Kento began, but he was quickly cut off by Carey's ear-splitting screech of fury.

      "_Hijo de tu chingada madre!"_ the petite Latina shrieked, plowing a dainty fist into Kento's jaw.  To everyone's surprise, the fully-armored Warrior of Justice went flying backwards, smacking into a gatepost with a resounding _bong_.  Carey's jaw dropped and her eyes grew huge, staring at her fist as if it were some fascinating new toy attached to her arm.  "Wow…" she murmured in awe.

      "Oh, did I forget to mention that the suit significantly amplifies the wearer's strength?" Kayura said.

      Sage shot Cye and Rowen a "laugh-and-you-die" look, then turned to Kayura.  "Yes, you did manage to overlook that important little bit of information," he replied dryly.  "You all right, Kento?"

      "Oh, yeah, just peachy," Kento grumbled as a grinning Rowen helped him to his feet.  He shot a wounded glare at Carey, who just glared back.  "You didn't have to let her hit me, you know…_again_."

      "Kento, you just tried to decapitate my fiancée," Sage retorted.  "If she hadn't hit you, I would have."  He turned to look at the gate.  It gaped widely, like a ravenous mouth demanding sustenance --- or sacrifice, Sage thought grimly.  _And somewhere in there, our friend is being held captive…and the five of us are his, and the entire city's, only chance._  The enormity of that realization struck him with a staggering force.  _I never wanted to fight again, never wanted to have to call the armor.  But now not only do I have to go into battle, I have to take the woman I love with me.  _He closed his eyes, feeling suddenly, unutterably tired. _ When does it end?  Will we _ever _be able to lay down this burden, this huge responsibility?_

      A small hand crept into his.  Startled, Sage looked down to see Carey beside him.  Her gaze was steady and trusting as her fingers tightened gently on his; he could feel the warmth of her touch even through the gloves they both wore.  Her love and her strength flowed through him unchecked, and suddenly he understood.  Carey knew his secret.  She knew what he was, what he had done, and what they were facing…and she still chose to stand and fight by his side. _ We were brought together for a reason, and now I think I finally understand what that reason is.  _The weight lifted from his soul, leaving him calm and strong again._  I have a huge burden to carry, and maybe I always will --- but now I don't have to carry it alone anymore._  He squeezed Carey's hand in silent thanks, then turned to Kayura.  "I take it you're not coming." 

      Kayura shook her head.  "This is as far as I can go," she said with genuine regret.  "It may have cloaked itself in illusions, but the Devourer is still in the mortal realm, and as long as it is I'm not allowed to fight it.  This is the Ronins' battle now."

      Sage nodded.  "I understand, and you're right.  This demon has kidnapped Ryo, hurt each of us, manipulated us like toys, killed an innocent man, and turned our city --- our _home_ --- into its private feeding ground.  But it ends now," he said firmly.

      "Not if we just stand here talking all night," Kento reminded them.  "Come on --- what the heck are we waiting for?"

      A predatory smile curled Sage's mouth.  "We're not waiting," he replied.  "Let's go, Ronin Warriors."  Still holding Carey's hand, he drew his sword and stepped through the gate, the others following him one by one.  When the last of them had crossed through, a curtain of fog seemed to wrap around the shrine, hiding it from view.  Kayura stood there for a long time after they had gone, staring thoughtfully at the gate as the wind keened and the trees thrashed in the gathering darkness.

      It had begun. 

***********************************************************************************************

_pirouette: _French, "whirl" or "spin".  A complete turn of the body on one foot, done on _pointe_ or _demi-pointe_.

_arabesque:_ A basic pose in ballet where the dancer stands on one leg with the other extended behind at a right angle.

_machisto:_ Spanish, "male chauvinist pig"

_amor de mi vida:_ Spanish; "love of my life"

_pendejos locos:_ Spanish; "crazy idiots"

_kurohakuchō:_ Japanese; "black swan"

_cállate:_ Spanish; "shut up"

_guabino:_ Spanish (Cuban origin); "idiot"

_hijo de tu chingada madre:_ Spanish; extremely vulgar way of saying "son of a bitch" (literally "son of your f***ing mother")

**A.N.  **Okay, I'm back (yes, I know --- _finally_!).  I went on a long-overdue vacation --- to Washington, D.C., culture-geek heaven --- and so did my muses.  Unfortunately, theirs lasted a lot longer than mine (and they didn't even bring me back a souvenir, the lousy ratfinks).  F.Y.I., my description of Carey's "armor" was inspired by the vamp outfit worn by _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_'s Willow in the episode "Dopplegangland" and the cover illustrations for Susan Sizemore's wonderful _Laws of the Blood_ series ("crime-fighting vampire" novels, and damned good ones at that).****


	12. Valley Of The Shadow

Heart Of Darkness By Icewyche 

Chapter Eleven: Valley Of The Shadow 

      The outer pavilion of the Meiji Shrine was empty, devoid of any soul except the five Ronin Warriors.  Kento tiptoed along the flagstones, holding his bo as if it were a rifle.  "Be vewy, vewy quiet," he said with an affected lisp.  "We're hunting demons.  Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh."

      Carey rolled her eyes.  "That has got to be the _worst_ Elmer Fudd imitation of all time," she said.  "Okay, we've found the Devourer's hiding place, now where do we find the Big Bad itself?" she wondered.  "Do you think the Devourer even knows we're here?" 

      "It knows," Rowen replied.  He held up a hand.  "Listen."  The Ronins fell silent, listening intently to…nothing.  A deep, all-pervasive silence surrounded them, a quiet so complete that they could almost hear their own heartbeats.  Not a leaf stirred overhead, not a single bird called out.  The only sound was the faint gurgle of water in the _temizuya_.

      "The wind's stopped…along with everything else, it seems," Sage noted after a moment.  "Well, it makes sense.  That storm was only meant to draw us here.  Now that it has us where it wants us, there's no need for the Devourer to keep up the special effects."

      "And it's not like we can turn around and leave," Kento added, gesturing to the thick curtain of fog sealing off their exit.  "What do you want to bet there's no getting through that wall there?"

      Carey started to investigate one of the small covered pavilions, but Sage caught her wrist.  "Stay close to me, Carey," he said quietly.  At her look of surprise, he went on, "We don't know exactly what we'll be facing, and until we do I want you where I can look out for you."

      "Sage, don't go all macho on me," Carey replied.  "I can take care of myself."

      "I know that," Sage agreed.  "But you've never fought demons before, and I don't want you charging recklessly into battle just to prove a point.  This is going to get messy and violent in a way you can't even imagine.  Look, I'm not asking you not to fight, because we both know you'll probably have to," he said quickly as a faintly mutinous look flashed across her face.  "I'm just asking you not to take unnecessary risks, okay?  Let us handle the worst of this --- I don't want you hurt."  Carey opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again with a faint sigh.  She looked a bit disappointed, but Sage decided he could live with that --- better alive and disappointed than happy and dead, he reasoned.       

      Cye moved over to the _temizuya_, the water trough where worshippers ritually purified their mouths and hands before entering the shrine.  He scooped up a handful of water then quickly dropped it with a small sound of disgust, shaking his fingers as if he had just touched something vile.  "What is it?" Sage asked.

      "Something's wrong with this water," Cye answered, frowning in distaste at the droplets clinging thickly to his gloved fingers.  "It's different…_contaminated_ somehow.  The contamination's subtle, but it's there.  I can feel it."

      "Which probably explains how the Devourer was able to spread its influence so far," Rowen said thoughtfully.  "Do you have any idea how many people use that water every day?"

      "Are you saying it…_infected _them somehow?" Carey asked.  

      "I don't know if 'infect' is the right word," Rowen said.  "I think it's more like tagging…like using a radioactive tracer for an X-ray.  The Devourer managed to infuse its own essence into the water, and when people used the water they took that essence in.  Then when it was ready, all the Devourer had to do was home in on those little traces of itself."

      "That's how it's getting all this energy --- it's drawing from the people it tagged and using that to affect everyone else," Cye agreed.  He placed his hand in the water again and closed his eyes in concentration.  A bright blue glow surrounded his hand for a moment, then faded.  Cye withdrew his hand.  "I can't reverse the pollution --- it's rooted too deeply," he said, shaking his head regretfully.  "We're going to have to cut it off at the source."  

      "Which is somewhere inside this temple," Sage said.  "Come on."  He led the team through another gate into the outer part of the shrine.  Normally a bustling hub of activity, it was eerily still and silent.  The warriors' footsteps echoed hollowly in the motionless air.

      Rowen looked around the deserted courtyard.  "Weird.  I've never seen this place so empty.  It feels like we're the only living things in this temple right now."

      "I'm more worried about things that _aren't_ living," Kento replied.  "Like demonic traps just waiting for us to walk into them."

      Cye raised an eyebrow.  "_Now_ you decide to worry about that?"

      "Keep your guards up," Sage told him.  "This monster could throw anything at us."

      "Um…guys?" Carey spoke up, her eyes wary and her slim body tensing.  "Do you hear something?"

      The others quieted, listening, then Kento shook his head.  "Okay, I don't hear anything.  You sure it's not the voices in your head again?"  Carey hissed at him.

      "Kento's right," Sage agreed.  "I don't hear any --- wait a minute."  They heard it then, a low, steady humming like the far-off drone of bees.  "What _is_ that?"

      "_Incoming!_" Rowen yelled, drawing his bow as a black cloud appeared over the rooftop, heading straight for the Ronins.  In the blink of an eye, Rowen fired a golden arrow into its midst.  The arrow exploded, and so did the cloud --- into a horde of screeching, bat-winged demons.  "Look out!" Sage ordered, shoving Carey behind him with one hand and bringing his sword up in a flashing arc with the other.  The bright blade sliced through two of the demons, causing them to disintegrate.

      "Finally, some action!" Kento declared with a savage grin.  "Watch and learn, Swan Princess," he called mockingly to Carey.  She scowled and Sage frowned, but there was no time to discuss the matter as the monsters attacked in force.  The other Ronins quickly brandished their weapons, and soon the battle was in full swing.  "Carey, stay close," Sage called over his shoulder.  There was no answer, and he suddenly realized that she wasn't beside him anymore --- the winged beasts had separated them.  He caught sight of her a short distance away, fighting off the monsters with the same skill he had seen in their practice fights.  He started toward her to help…then nearly dropped his sword as a wave of terror --- _her _terror --- hit him like a brick wall.  "_Carey!_" Sage shouted frantically.  He disposed of two more demons, then turned to go after her. 

      Rowen caught his arm.  "No, Sage!"

      Sage glared at his longtime friend.  "I can't just leave her!  She doesn't know --- "

      "Yes, she does!" Rowen interrupted, slashing at a wailing monster with his bow and turning it to dust.  "_You_ taught her, remember?"  

      "Damn it, Rowen, she's scared half to death.  I can feel it," Sage said in a low, urgent voice.  

      "Of course she is.  So were we, our first time in battle," Rowen replied.  He lowered his voice as much as he could to still be heard above the clamor of the fight.  "Don't do it, buddy.  Kento already thinks Carey's useless…if you jump in now, you'll only make things worse.  She will never forgive you if you interfere and you know it."

      "She doesn't have to prove anything, not to me," Sage protested.

      Rowen raised an eyebrow.  "Doesn't she?" he asked rhetorically.  "You can't do this for her, Sage.  She'll never learn if you keep protecting her.  She has to find her own way, the same way we did."  His eyes met Sage's for a moment.  "Trust in what you taught her, and let Carey fight her own battles.  You need to concentrate on yours."

      Sage glowered, but something in him knew that Rowen was right and he relaxed --- just a little.  "When did you become such a goddamned expert?" he growled.

      Rowen smiled mysteriously.  "Trust her, Sage.  It's the only way you two are going to survive."

      "What, this battle?" Sage asked, automatically taking down three more demons.

      Rowen's smile widened to a wry grin.  "Nope," he replied.  "Marriage."  Sage returned the grin, and they plunged back into the fray.

      Carey, meanwhile, had not heard the exchange between her intended and his friend.  When the monsters attacked, she froze…or at least she would have, but some instinct she hadn't even known she possessed took over and she found herself charging into battle right along with the Ronins.  The Starlight Swords flashed (When had she drawn them? She didn't remember) as they slashed through one after another of the hideous things, and her body seemed to move of its own accord with a speed and grace far beyond anything she had ever displayed on stage.  She didn't even have to think, she just _knew_ what to do, and it felt _right_ in a way that few other things in her life ever had.  Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered where this new skill had come from --- muscle memory was never like this --- but the thought was quickly drowned out amid the cacophony of demonic shrieks and the flap of leathery wings.  She evaded the monsters' strikes, cutting them down whenever she got the chance, but for every one of the shrieking beasts she destroyed three more took its place…and suddenly Carey realized in horror that she was surrounded.  She caught a glimpse of Sage through the chaos, but he seemed far away and the monsters kept pressing her back.  _Oh, my God! _she realized with a shock._  I'm facing them alone!  This isn't a game anymore --- this is _real_!_  Terror rose swiftly in her throat and threatened to choke her.  The Starlight Swords faltered in her hands.

      The monsters encircled her --- Santa Madre_, these things are ugly_ --- laughing and jeering.  Their cries were deafening, making her want to curl up as small as possible with her hands clamped over her ears.  She continued to slice at them, but it was pure reflex; the swords in her grasp had become heavy and alien and she couldn't remember a thing Sage had taught her anymore.  Panic descended, as cold and leaden as a wet blanket.  This was no practice run now; these creatures wanted to hurt her, _kill_ her, where the hell was Sage _oh God someone help me what do I do now_ ---

      A sharp pain in her head jolted her out of her panicked trance; one brave creature had gotten close enough to yank her hair.  She slashed at it but it darted out of reach, cackling maniacally.

      _Son of a bitch --- it's _laughing_ at me!_  

      The realization that these demons were enjoyingher fear brought her swiftly back to reality.  _You think this is funny, don't you, you little beasts?_ she thought fiercely.  _That's why you drove me away from the others --- you thought I'd be an easy target._  Her head began to clear, and with that clarity came a steadily building anger.  _Well, guess again.  I may be new to this, but I've been trained by the best, I have my own armor --- or maybe it has me, I'm not sure yet --- and I'm sick and tired of being underestimated._  _Sure, this is weird and scary, but it can't be any weirder or scarier than what the guys faced when they were only kids, and _they_ handled it.  If they can do it, so can I._

_      Besides --- I'll be damned if I'll give Kento the satisfaction of saying "I told you so."_   

      Battling his way through the gradually decreasing swarms of demons, Sage finally made his way toward his fiancée.  Her expression was calm but determined now, her eyes blazing as she whirled her blades through the air in a deadly dance.  Without losing his own focus, he stretched out his senses toward her and smiled as her felt her answering touch, strong and secure with no hint of her earlier fear; he thought it was quite possible that he had never loved her more than he did in that moment.  The demons were numerous, but they were no match for the five determined warriors.  In just a few minutes the fight was over.   

      Kento brandished his bo with a whoop of triumph.  "Yeah!" he exulted.  "We've still got it!  The Ronin Warriors are _back_, man!"

      Sage smiled wryly at Kento's enthusiasm.  "So much for the welcoming committee.  Well, now we know that the Devourer is definitely aware of our arrival."

      Cye shook his head as he looked over the scattered ashes, all that remained of their grotesque assailants.  "I don't understand it," he said.  "This is a temple --- sacred ground.  Why would the Devourer come here, and how was it able to take over so completely?"

      "Why wouldn't it come here?" Rowen replied.  "After all, when do people turn to religion the most?  When they're unhappy or in pain.  As for the rest, the Devourer doesn't respect any kind of religion.  It doesn't see Shinto or Buddhist or any other kind of god or worship --- all it sees is an epicenter of suffering.  As far as it's concerned this is just one big all-you-can-eat buffet that keeps getting replenished."

      "What I want to know is, how did you know about that attack?" Kento suddenly demanded of Carey.  "None of us heard those things coming, only you did.  What, you have superhuman hearing now, too?"

      Something startled and secretive flashed briefly behind Carey's eyes, but she quickly covered it with an annoyed look.  "Oh, please," she scoffed, shaking her hair out of her face.  "I've been dancing since I was three years old; I've been trained to recognize changes in pitch, tone, and tempo.  There's nothing 'superhuman' about knowing how to _listen_."  The look on her face said she was not going to discuss it any further.

      "Let's check this place out," Rowen said, changing the subject.  "There's got to be something leading to the Devourer's hideout."  The Ronins separated to investigate the courtyard.      

      Sage moved close to Carey's side.  "I was worried when we got separated.  You okay?"

      "It was a little scary at first, but I'm fine," Carey replied.

      "You sure?" Sage pressed.  "I felt you panicking back there, then all of a sudden it stopped.  What happened?"

      Carey looked up at him with steady amber eyes.  "I got tired of being laughed at," she said pointedly.  Which was a rebuke if he'd ever heard one, Sage thought ruefully.  There was a heartbeat of awkward silence between them, then Carey spoke up.  "How well do you trust Kayura?" she asked abruptly.

      "Well enough.  Why?"

      "Because…"  Carey paused and chewed her lower lip slightly, considering her words.  "When I was fighting those things, it didn't feel like it was me doing it…it felt like this armor was doing it _for_ me," she explained slowly.  "I mean, I've never been in a real battle before, but I was taking those demons down almost as easily as you were --- it was as if I'd done this a hundred times before, like I just _knew_ what I was doing.  And now that it's over, I'm not even tired.  How is that possible…unless the armor's controlling me?" she wondered.   

      "It's not the armor," Sage replied, taking her hand in his.  "It's you.  Carey, I saw you falter back there, and I wanted to run and help you because I didn't think you knew how to handle those beasts.  But you _do_ know what you're doing, because you've been well-trained --- as Rowen reminded me, _I_ was the one who trained you."

      "I'm not sure if I should thank Rowen or kill him," Carey muttered.  

      Sage smiled.  "You yourself told me once that I needed to trust in what I taught you.  That applies to both of us.  Besides, Kayura knows damned well that if she harms you, she'll have to deal with me…and for what it's worth, I've seen the power of the Ancients and I have faith in it.  That armor is there to protect you, not control you.  _You_ wear _it_, not the other way around --- and you wear it _very_ nicely, I might add," he murmured, bending close to her ear.

      Carey chuckled reluctantly.  "I don't believe this.  We just decimated the flying monkeys from hell and you're coming on to me?"

      "Battlefield humor.  Besides, I find I've developed a sudden appreciation for black leather and corsets," Sage shrugged, but his violet eyes twinkled mischievously.  "That's even sexier than what you had on last night." 

      "And if you're very good I just might wear it around the house now and then," Carey replied, glancing seductively at him through her eyelashes.  Her humor faded, and she sighed.  "This is just so strange," she said thoughtfully.  "I mean, you told me about this side of you, but I guess part of me never really believed it.  But now…now I don't have a choice, I _have_ to believe.  Everything's changing, and I'm not sure what's real anymore."

      Sage gently kissed her gloved hand.  "I'm real," he replied in equally quiet tones.  "And so are you.  Don't ever forget that.  I know this is going to take some getting used to, but I'll help you all I can.  Just remember, these armors are nothing more than a costume, just like those outfits you wear on stage.  They don't change who we are, love --- armor or no armor, we still have to meet with the damn caterers on Monday," he added dryly.  She smiled faintly but didn't reply, and Sage dropped his voice even further.  "Carey…what did you hear when those things attacked?"

      Carey's startled gaze flew to his face, and Sage knew he was on to something.  But Carey quickly shook her head.  "Not here, Sage, not now.  It was just --- _different_, that's all.  It's…you wouldn't understand," she said, so softly he almost didn't hear her.  He started to pursue the subject, but she suddenly stiffened as her gaze went distant.  "Oh, no," she muttered, then raised her voice.  "Second wave headed this way."

      Cye, Rowen, and Kento paused in their explorations, running back to join Sage and Carey.  "Are you sure?" Cye asked.

      Carey nodded brusquely.  "I'd say we have about five seconds before they get here."

      "I want to know how she knows that!" Kento protested.

      _So do I_, Sage thought, but he kept it to himself.  "Later, Kento," he replied shortly.  A low rumble began to vibrate beneath their feet.  "Here they come."  No sooner had the words left his mouth than the stone pavement of the courtyard geysered upward, showering the warriors with shrapnel.  As they backed away, shielding their faces from the rain of shards, a mob of…_things_ crawled out of the ground.

      They might have once been human…it was hard to tell, since they all seemed to be in various stages of either decay or dissection.  Tarnished breastplates covered skinless chests; bony fingers clutched rusty but still-lethal swords.  A few still had eyeballs that protruded grotesquely from flayed faces, while others glared from empty eye sockets.  Mud-colored teeth bared in a rictus grin as the creatures faced their prey.  

      Carey brushed stone chips from her hair.  "Oh, gross," she muttered.  "These guys are even uglier than the last bunch."

      "They're demons, Carey.  They're _supposed_ to be ugly," Cye replied wryly.  One of the creatures lunged for him, and he sliced it lengthwise in two.  The halves fell to the ground, twitching.

      "And they're very good at it," Carey agreed.  She high-kicked, knocking one demon's head off, then dodged away from another one's spear.  Before it could recover she slashed neatly through its midsection, breaking it in half.  "You know, I'm not sure what bothers me more --- the fact that I'm fighting the undead or the fact that I'm actually starting to enjoy it."

      "Focus, people," Sage scolded.  Light glinted off his sword as he cut neatly through three demons in one swing.  "We can't stay here all night battling zombies and whatnot.  We have to find a clear way into the rest of the temple."

      "The entrance to the main building is right behind us," Rowen pointed out.  "If we can just get away from this bunch, we should be able to make it inside."

      "And head right into a worse trap, probably," Kento said cynically.

      "We don't have a choice," Rowen replied.  "Sage is right --- we can't stay out here all night.  The longer we delay, the worse things get in the city _and_ the less chance we have of finding Ryo in one piece."  He loosed a single arrow that tore through three of their undead opponents.  The animated corpses toppled, each with a gaping hole in its chest, and Rowen frowned.  "Something's not right here," he said, almost to himself.

      Carey paused in severing a demon's arms long enough to throw him an incredulous look.  "Rowen, sweetie, we're fighting zombies in a mystically altered temple.  How much more 'not right' can it get?"  Rowen didn't answer her.

      For all their frightening appearance the zombies didn't put up much of a fight, and it wasn't long before they were reduced to an assortment of pieces scattered on the stones of the courtyard.

      Kento kicked at a severed leg.  "Is this the best the Devourer can do?  I'm just getting warmed up." he scoffed.  "Man, this mission is gonna be a walk in the park."

      "I wouldn't be so sure, Kento," Rowen said thoughtfully.  "This was _too_ easy.  Why didn't they put up more of a fight?"

      "The Devourer is just trying to stall us, to wear us down," Sage said.  "Come on, let's get inside before something else happens."

      "Uh --- guys?" Cye spoke up.  "Too late."  He pointed at the dismembered demons.  As the warriors watched in horror, the pieces started to twitch --- and then to grow.  Each fragment reformed itself into a new being, and soon the Ronins were facing an army of living corpses three times the size of the previous group, each armed to the decaying teeth.

      Carey took a step back, half-hiding behind Sage.  "Oooh…okay, I officially want to go home now."

      "Aaah, come on…I thought you were a swan, not a chicken," Kento taunted her.  "We took down the last bunch and didn't even break a sweat.  How hard can these guys be?"  To prove his point, he charged one of the monsters, swinging his bo in a killing arc.  The creature caught it in one bony hand and seemed to regard it curiously through empty eye sockets --- then it threw Kento back as if he weighed almost nothing.  The Warrior of Justice hit the paving stones with an earth-shaking crash.

      The other Ronins ran to Kento's side.  "You okay, Kento?" Sage asked.

      Kento scrambled to his feet, a murderous expression on his face.  "Okay, now I'm mad," he growled.  "These things are gonna wish they'd stayed dead when I'm through with them."

      "Kento, there's no time!" Rowen insisted.  "We have to get into the temple!"

      "And you think the zombie legions are just gonna stand by and let us do that?" Kento shot back.  "We have to deal with them sooner or later, and I vote sooner.  Come on, guys, they're just the walking dead.  It's not like they shoot fire or spit acid or anything!"  As if on cue, the lead demon opened its mouth and a gush of red liquid shot out, landing just in front of the Ronins.  The paving stones where it hit began to smoke and bubble.

      Cye shot a dirty look at Kento.  "You were saying?" 

      "Okay, obviously I spoke too soon," Kento conceded hastily.  "But, hey, our armors should stand up against it, right?"

      "We can't take the chance," Sage ordered.  "Head for the temple doors, and for God's sake stay away from those things!"  None of the Ronins needed to be told twice.  As one, they turned and sprinted for the shrine doors.

      Carey flinched as a shot of acid missed her by a fraction.  "They're right behind us!"

      "Just keep going!" Sage replied.  "Don't stop for any --- whoa!"  His words ended in a shout of surprise as the ground abruptly gave way beneath his feet.  A large section of the courtyard floor just vanished, sending the Ronins tumbling into pitch blackness, then reforming exactly as it had been.  The demon warriors watched mutely for a moment, then dissolved into a fine dust that blew away in the sudden slight breeze.

       Within moments, it was as if no one had been there at all.

      _Within its lair, the demon watched and smiled.  "And so it begins…"_

      "Is everyone all right?" Sage asked, and received a muted chorus of assent.

      "You know, after all these years you'd think these demons would come up with something more original than trap doors," Kento grumbled, dusting himself off.

      Rowen shrugged.  "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

      The Ronins got to their feet and looked around them.  They were in the middle of a shadowy stone corridor, its low ceiling held up by carved columns.  More carvings decorated the walls, and sparsely placed torches did little to dispel the gloom.  "Curiouser and curiouser.  Where exactly are we, anyway?" Carey wanted to know.

      "Underneath the shrine would be my guess," Cye replied.  "Strange, though --- I never knew the Meiji Shrine _had_ a subterranean level."  
      "I didn't either.  And I wonder if it really does," Sage said.  He walked over to the wall and ran a hand over one of the carvings.  "Look at these carvings, at the style of the columns.  These are South American, not Japanese; I'm guessing Aztec.  Looks like our demon friend has been busy redecorating.  Either that or we're all in Mexico," he added wryly.

      "That's my Sage --- the walking art encyclopedia," Carey chuckled.   She bent closer to examine an intricate relief of a man whose heart was being torn out of his chest by large birds.  "Ewww…for a centuries-old being you'd think it would have better taste in interior decorating."

      "You think this is bad, you should have seen Talpa's dungeon," Rowen told her.  "That made this place look like _House Beautiful_.  Seems the style gene is nonexistent in the demon population."

      "Oh, I don't know about that," Cye said.  "I thought Shikaisen's hideout was kind of interesting."

      Sage shot him a wry glance.  "Easy for you to say --- he didn't have _you_ hooked up to a supercomputer.  Besides, Cye, the guy lived in a _graveyard_."

      "True," Cye conceded.  "But the place did have a sort of Gothic charm to it…and I have to admit I rather liked those little indoor waterfalls."

      "Okay, what about Mukara's valley?" Rowen asked, joining in the game.

      "Yeah, that whole African-jungle thing was pretty cool," Kento admitted.

      Cye shook his head.  "Too new-agey…all those crystals," he said with a straight face.  "Besides, thatch huts really don't do much for me."

      "It was Africa --- what'd you expect?" Kento shrugged.  "Cye, you're such a snob."

      "Guys --- hello? Can we get back on track here?" Carey broke in.  "Sage, what do you mean you wonder if this shrine has an underground level?"

      "Remember what Kayura said," Sage reminded them.  "The Devourer has cloaked itself in illusions.  We know it created the illusions of the storm and that heavy fog.  This underground hideout may be an illusion, too."

      Carey looked skeptical.  "I don't know…that fall sure felt real."  She rubbed her hip, pouting slightly.  "I'm gonna feel _that_ in the morning," she grumbled.  "So which way do we go?"

      Sage closed his eyes, concentrating.  "This way," he said after a moment, pointing to his left.  "I can feel something down there…something in pain."

      "Or some_one_," Cye added grimly.  "Damn that beast.  It's probably torturing Ryo as we speak."

      "It's doing something bad," Carey agreed with a faint shiver.  "I can hear it --- it's _gloating_."

      That got everyone's attention.  "Okay, now she's creeping me out," Kento complained.  "First those demons and now this.  How can you possibly hear the Devourer at this range?"

      "I don't _hear_ it, not literally," Carey replied, gesturing helplessly.  "It's just…never mind."

      "Let's discuss it on the move," Sage intervened as Kento scowled.  "All right, Carey, out with it.  Earlier you said that you heard something 'different' right before the demons attacked us, and now you hear the Devourer 'gloating'.  What do you mean?  What are you hearing?"

      Carey sighed unhappily as the team moved down the hall.  "I don't know how to describe it," she said, hunching her shoulders defensively.  "It was like…you know, in _Sleeping Beauty_, how you hear the bad fairy's theme before you ever see her?  Or like in the horror movies, the way they always play that ominous music even before the guy with the chainsaw shows up.  I know that doesn't make much sense, but it's the only way I can think of to explain it."

      "Are you saying you heard _music_?" Rowen asked.  "Has that ever happened to you before?"  

      "Look, just forget I said anything, okay?" Carey burst out, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.  "It's not important now."

      "Carey, it _is_ important," Sage replied, puzzled by her sudden defensiveness.  "We have to understand how your new abilities work in order to help you use them correctly.  It's nothing to get upset about, sweetheart."  Carey just eyed him warily, and Sage had a sudden flash of insight.  "This _has_ happened to you before, hasn't it?" he asked slowly.  The hunted look in her eyes told him all he needed to know.  "Oh, Carey.  Why didn't you say anything?"

      Carey shrugged.  "I don't know, I guess maybe I was just so thrown by all the little bombshells I've had dropped on me in the past twenty-four hours," she said archly.  "Besides, I'd forgotten all about this…it's been almost twenty years since I've had to deal with it, and back then I didn't even know what an empath was, much less that I could actually _be_ one."

      "Well, now you obviously have to 'deal with it' again, so you may as well tell me what 'it' is," Sage told her.  She frowned and he added, "Carey, I can't help you if I don't know what I'm dealing with here."   

      "Oh, all right, fine.  But if any of you laugh, you're dead men," Carey warned, then sighed in resignation.  "When I was little I used to hear music all the time in my head.  I guess you could call it a mental soundtrack…I'd hear sad music when someone nearby was unhappy, or angry music when they argued.  The people in my family even had their own sounds; Mom sounded like flutes, Dad was a trumpet, _Abuela_ was always bells or chimes.  That's why Mom started me in ballet lessons, you know…I was always dancing to the songs in my head."

      "So you have had empathic abilities before," Sage said.  "Why did they stop?"

      "How should I know?" Carey retorted.  "All I know is that when I was five, I made the mistake of telling my family I heard music in my head.  Mom and Dad thought it was cute, but my grandmother…the freakout she threw would have made you think I had been shooting heroin and ax-murdering senior citizens."  She chuckled bitterly.  "_Abuela_ even threatened to call our priest in on the matter, but luckily Dad talked her out of that --- told her it was just little-kid nonsense."

      "It can't have been _that_ bad, Carey."

      Carey gave him a jaundiced look.  "Sage, I _heard_ my grandmother's fear and disgust --- it was like a thousand alarm bells clanging full blast in my head.  _You_ try being five years old and dealing with that.  Anyway, after that fiasco Mom told me to never, ever mention the music again, to try and forget about it.  Soon after that it went away and I never thought about it anymore," she finished with another shrug.

       The other warriors exchanged glances.  "Well, that explains one thing," Rowen mused.  "No wonder your empathy gifts are this strong so soon…they've always been there, you've just been suppressing them for years.  Her gifts are a lot like yours, Sage.  She seems to have the same extrasensory awareness you do, except that her 'sixth sense' activates as sound waves rather than light…auditory impulses instead of visual ones."

      Carey raised an eyebrow.  "Translate."

      Cye rolled his eyes at Rowen.  "Sage _sees_ auras," he explained.  "You _hear_ them."

      "That's what I _said_," Rowen grumbled.

      "She _hears_ auras?" Sage repeated.  "Rowen, this is really starting to get weird."

      "Says the empath, clairvoyant, healer, occasional telepath, and general all-around mystic," Rowen shot back, then chuckled slyly.  "You two are going to have some interesting children, that's for sure."

      Carey looked from one to the other of the Ronins.  "So…there's nothing wrong with me?" she asked hesitantly.

      "Well, now, _that's_ up for discussion," Kento muttered.  Cye elbowed him sharply.  "Ow!"

      Sage shot Kento a glare.  "No, darling, there's nothing wrong with you," he said reassuringly, privately damning Carey's insensitive and superstitious grandmother to hell.  "Your grandmother just didn't understand, and people fear what they don't understand, and sometimes they overreact."

      Carey seemed to know what he was thinking.  "She loved me, Sage, she really did," she said quietly.  "It's just that she's a very devout old-world Catholic, and in her world good Catholic girls aren't supposed to hear music in their head and pick up on other people's thoughts and emotions.  I mean, they don't cover that sort of thing in catechism class."

      "So what did she say when she found out we were living together?" Sage asked.  

      Carey grimaced.  "Well, if I remember _Madre's_ e-mail correctly, I believe the term 'mortal sin' came up a few times.  It's a good thing _Abuela_ doesn't own a shotgun."

      "Sounds like she and my grandfather should get along pretty well," Sage said wryly.  

      Carey groaned and hid her eyes.  "We are _so _doomed." 

      _Hmmm…_interesting,_ the Devourer mused.  It would seem there was more to the little swan-girl than it had thought.  It could hear every word of the Ronins' conversations, and what it heard was proving to be very interesting indeed.  A small child with an unusual and frightening gift, a gift that caused her loved ones to regard her with mistrust …the demon chuckled to itself._

_      Interesting…and _useful_._  

      As they walked along the seemingly endless corridors Sage found his gaze drawn to the grotesque carvings on the walls again.  _God, those things are hideous,_ he thought, even as he absently reached out to touch one.  Without warning, a jagged streak of white light arced between his hand and the wall.  The carving exploded, leaving a gaping black crater in the stone.

      Carey gasped.  "Whoa…_that_ was different," Kento said in surprise.  "Sage, if you don't like the artwork just say so, buddy."

      Sage just stared at the smoking hole for a moment, stunned.  Only a moment before, he had been imagining blasting those revolting sculptures into dust with a Thunderbolt Cut…."Don't touch the walls, any of you," he ordered abruptly.  "It could be some sort of a trap."  The others hastily backed away from the walls, although Sage noticed Rowen eyeing him oddly as they continued on their way.

      They walked a few yards more, then Kento suddenly let out a growl of frustration.  "Man, this is _boring_!" he complained.  "All we're doing is walking around…hell, we could be walking in _circles_ for all we know.  If the Devourer wants us so badly, why doesn't it just show itself and get it over with?"

      Rowen glanced over at him.  "Be careful what you wish for, Kento," he said wryly.  "You know every time you say something like that, disaster is never far behind."

      Kento snorted.  "Yeah, right."  He raised his voice.  "Hey, Devourer!  We're here, so what are you waiting for?" he yelled.  "What's the matter, you chicken?  C'mon, forces of darkness, show us how mighty you are!"  The dying echoes of his own shout was the only answer.  Kento folded his arms and grinned as the others eyed him askance.  "See?  Nothing," he said smugly and turned away.

      A sudden grinding rumble startled the warriors.  They looked up just in time to see a heavy pillar detach itself from its moorings and plunge toward them --- heading directly for Carey.

      "Carey, look out!" Sage yelled.  Time seemed to slow as he lunged for her, knowing even as he did that he would be too late.  He could only watch in horror as Carey screamed and fell to her knees, instinctively raising her hands to shield herself ---  

      He heard it first, an audible _whoosh_.  A split second later a huge ball of fire shot from Carey's gloved hands.  It wrapped itself around the falling pillar and reduced it to embers that rained harmlessly to the floor.  In two heartbeats, it was over.

      Sage was at Carey's side instantly.  "Carey…oh, baby, thank God.  Are you okay?" he said gently, reaching out to her.  He was startled when she scrambled hastily to her feet and backed away, staring at him as if she had never seen him before.  "Honey, what is it?  What's wrong?"

      "You said this wouldn't change me," Carey hissed accusingly, her hands held out in front of her like they didn't even belong to her.  "You said that being an empath like you and wearing this armor --- none of it would change who I was, remember?  Well, what do you call _this_, Sage?"

      "Carey…"

      "Not even a month ago I didn't believe in demons or possession or magical armors," Carey went on, wild-eyed, a shrillness creeping into her voice.  "Now all of a sudden I'm fighting monsters that shouldn't even exist and hearing that damned music in my head again --- did you ever think about _why_ I let that 'gift' die, Sage?  _Did you?_"

      "Carey, calm down," Sage told her firmly.  She ignored him.

      "I let it die because I hated it," she hissed.  "Because it made me a freak, and God knows I don't need the help.  But now, thanks to you and --- and them and that…_bitch_ Kayura, not only am I a human radio but I'm a goddamned human _flamethrower!_" Carey screamed.

      "Hey, leave us out of it," Kento protested.

      If she had been anyone else he would have slapped her --- in fact he actually considered it for a second --- but Sage could feel his lover's shock and terror like a wall of electricity between them and he couldn't bring himself to hit her.  She was scared, and he couldn't blame her one bit.  But he also knew that comforting her right then would have been disastrous, so instead he caught her upper arms and shook her briefly.  "Stop it!" he yelled.  "Damn it all, Carey, pull yourself together!  You don't throw tantrums like this on stage, do you?"

      "I also don't throw _fireballs_ on stage," Carey shot back, her voice quaking.  

      "_You _wanted to do this," Sage reminded her sternly.  "Kento and I both wanted to leave you at home because we didn't think you were ready for this kind of thing.  But you insisted on coming, you said you could handle it --- you were the Black Swan, remember?"  He thought he saw a spark of anger flash beneath her fear, and he ruthlessly pressed his advantage.  "Now you have a choice, Carey.  You can either prove that _you_ were right…or you can prove that _we_ were."

      It worked.  Fear magically vanished as Carey's golden eyes narrowed in fury.  "_Zakennayo_, Sage," she snarled.  

      Sage grinned at the vulgarity --- when Carey cursed in Japanese he _knew_ she was mad.  "That's my girl."

      Carey glowered at him for a moment, belatedly realizing what he had been doing, then a reluctant smile crossed her face.  "You smug bastard," she said.  "Why exactly am I marrying you, again?"  

      Sage chuckled.  "In all honesty, sweetheart, I haven't figured it out either; it's enough for me that you are.  Now listen to me," he said gently, still holding her arms.  "We'll find out what's happening, I promise.  But you can't fall apart now, _koibito_.  You're part of this team and we need you.  Now calm down and think.  What happened just before the fireball?" 

      "I'm not sure," Carey sighed.  "I just remember thinking that if that column hit me it was game over, and that there was no way I could get out of the way in time.  I thought the only way I'd have a chance is if it was vaporized in midair or something --- and the next thing I know I'm _Firestarter_, the sequel."  She looked up at Sage, her eyes dark with dread.  "What did Kayura do to me?" she asked quietly.

      Rowen had been silent during this entire exchange, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully and his gaze distant.  Now he spoke up.  "Actually, I don't think Kayura did this," he said slowly.  His head came up and he fixed Carey with a piercing stare.  "When were you born?" he demanded abruptly.

      Carey and Sage both started slightly --- they had almost forgotten Rowen and the others were there. "What?" Carey asked.

      "When were you born, Carey, what day?" Rowen insisted.

      Carey glanced at Sage, but he just gave her a tiny, mystified shrug.  "April seventh, 1973," she replied hesitantly.  "Why?"

      Rowen's eyes narrowed again and they could almost see the wheels turning in his head.  Then he nodded once, deeply.  "Of course.  It all makes sense now," he murmured, almost to himself.

      The other warriors exchanged baffled looks, and Cye spoke up.  "Ah, Rowen…I'm glad this all makes sense to _you_, but I think I can speak for everyone else here when I say 'Huh?'"

      "Well, don't you get it?" Rowen said excitedly.  "Carey was born April seventh; she's an Aries.  Ryo was born in August…a Leo."

      "Uh-huh.  And you're a Libra, I'm a Pisces, Sage is a Gemini and Kento's a Virgo," Cye replied patiently.  "All of which is fascinating to be sure, but what does that have to do with anything?"

      Rowen smiled.  "Because each of those signs has a corresponding element, Cye.  Pisces is water.  Virgo is earth.  Libra and Gemini are air.  And Aries and Leo…"  

      "Are _fire_," Sage finished, his eyes widening in comprehension.

      "Bingo.  And has anyone noticed that our armor powers coincide with our elements?  You're the only exception, Sage, but it's not too much of a stretch to link light and air.  This is what Kayura meant when she said we needed five.  Not five people…five _elements_."

      "But how does that explain the fireball?" Carey asked.

      "Hmmm…good point.  Let me try something," Rowen said thoughtfully.  He held his hands about a foot apart, palms facing one another, and seemed to be concentrating intently.  To the others' astonishment, a small cyclone formed between Rowen's hands.  He held it there for a moment, then tossed it upward.  It expanded and whirled wildly around the five warriors for a moment, whipping Carey's hair around her face, then dissipated.  "I thought so," Rowen said.  "I suspected something like this might be happening when that carving exploded, Sage.  That lightning didn't come _toward_ you, it went _away_ from you.  You were probably thinking something along the lines of how ugly that carving was, right?"  At Sage's startled nod, he continued, "The lightning wasn't a trap, buddy, it was _you_…you wanted to destroy that thing and you did.  There's something about this reality warp that not only enhances our mystical abilities, but brings out the literal powers of our elements."

      Kento sputtered as Cye mischievously drew a small wave of water from the air and sent it splashing into his face.  "Hey, _she_ beats up on me enough," he growled, stabbing a finger in Carey's direction.  "Don't _you_ start."   

      "Why me, though?" Carey wondered.  "I'm not one of you; I don't even have a real armor, much less that kind of power."

      "No?  Carey, you're an empath who senses auras as music --- who knows what other abilities you have?  Obviously the original five of us aren't the only people in the world with mystical gifts; I've heard there's supposed to be some sort of family connection to our armors, but more than likely we just happened to be there when the Ancient was looking for new armor bearers.  If circumstances had been different, who knows --- maybe _you_ would have worn the Armor of Wildfire instead of Ryo," Rowen shrugged.

      "Sure, and Ryo would have been studying ballet in New York City," Carey replied wryly.  She shook her head and looked up at Sage.  "You know, when I said I wanted to be your partner in our marriage, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

       "At least our marriage will never be boring," Sage said logically.  "Look at it this way, sweetheart…I could have taken up golf."  He laughed at Carey's exaggerated shudder of horror.  "Come on, gang, back to business.  We've still got a friend who needs rescuing."

      "Yeah, and a demon that needs its supernatural butt kicked," Kento agreed.  "Let's get moving already."

      As they moved along the corridor, Sage stole a glance at Carey and saw a thoughtful and faintly displeased look on her face.  "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

      Carey sighed, her lips tightening briefly.  "I panicked back there, Sage.  I'm supposed to be helping you guys, and yet the minute something weird happens I fall apart.  You know, maybe you were right…maybe I _should_ have stayed home."

      "Okay, let's derail this train of thought right here," Sage replied firmly.  "Yeah, you had a bad moment.  It happens.  Don't beat yourself up over it."

      "Sage, you don't understand.  I completely freaked, and if you hadn't snapped me out of it who knows what would have happened.  I blew it big-time and we both know it.  If that had happened in the middle of a battle --- "

      "But it didn't," Sage interrupted her.  "Carey, you're forgetting something.  This is your first time in battle --- _ever_ --- and it's not like performing on stage; at least then you get some practice time and the audience isn't trying to kill you.  You were thrown into this mess with no warning, no time to really prepare or learn, and considering that I think you've held up pretty damned well.  Besides, if I really and truly didn't think you were ready to go into battle with us, then there is no power on this earth that could make me bring you along."  Carey didn't look convinced, and Sage continued, "Look, do you think for one minute that none of us have ever frozen up in battle?  Ask Cye sometime --- or better yet, ask _Kento_," he added slyly.

      "I heard that," Kento grumbled.

      "Are you saying that because you mean it or because you're trying to make me feel better?" Carey asked wryly.

      Sage smiled, a bit sheepishly.  "Maybe a little of both," he admitted.  Carey studied him for a moment, then let herself return the smile.  "Honey, I'm curious about something," Sage added.  "When you said you heard the Devourer, what exactly did it sound like?"

      Carey screwed up her pretty face distastefully.  "_Stravinsky_," she replied in accents of deepest loathing.

      Cye chuckled.  "Not a Stravinsky fan, huh?"

      "Get real.  Have you ever heard his scores for _Agon_ or _Petrushka_?" Carey demanded.  "Dissonant as all hell, weird tempos, no flow at all --- ugh.  And yet this guy is supposed to be one of the greatest ballet composers of the modern age…which really doesn't say a lot for the modern age."

      "Okay, now who's getting off track?" Kento said.  "What is this, Music Appreciation 101?"

      "Just don't get her started on modern dance --- she'll blister your ears," Sage said dryly.  Carey rolled her eyes at him. 

      They traveled along, each of them keeping a wary eye out for further traps.  After the initial shock of her newly discovered power wore off, Carey seemed to have decided that the ability to create fire by sheer force of will was a pretty neat thing to have, and she enthusiastically set about practicing her new "gift".      

      "Will you cut that out?" Kento grumbled as Carey called up and then vanished a fireball for the twentieth time.

      "Relax, I'm not aiming them at you…yet," Carey retorted.  "I just think that if we have these 'elemental powers' we may as well learn how to use them.  I mean, they're here for a reason.  Maybe _you_ should consider a little practice time."

      Kento muttered something beneath his breath, then gestured at the wall near Carey's head.  A spike of rock shot out toward her with lightning speed, and she reflexively destroyed it with a burst of fire.  "See?  They work just fine, okay?  Good.  Great.  Now _enough with the damn fireballs!_" Kento growled.

      The other Ronins burst out laughing and Sage added with a smile, "I have to go with Kento on this one, Carey.  It is kind of unnerving watching your hands burst into flame every couple of minutes.  Besides, I thought you didn't like the whole _Firestarter _thing."

      "That's just because it caught me off guard," Carey shrugged.  "But now that I've gotten used to the idea it's actually kind of cool.  Think about it…no more hunting for matches for those candlelight dinners, and I'd be great at barbeques."

      "Not to mention the fact that you could incinerate me during our next big fight," Sage replied dryly.

      "Please.  You can throw lightning bolts --- I think we're evenly matched," Carey said.  "Of course that _would_ kind of get us kicked out of our apartment building.  Maybe we'd better just save it for outdoors."

      "Actually, I don't even know if we can use these powers in the real world," Rowen said.  "We've never had them before; they might just be a side effect of this twisted reality."

      "And since when are our realities _not_ twisted?" Cye asked wryly.  This brought more laughter, which continued until the warriors came to the end of the hall.  

      Rowen studied the branching hallway with dismay.  "How big is this place, anyway?  Feels like we've been walking for miles already."

      "That's because we probably have," Kento said.  "So which way now?" 

      "Give me a second to pick up the Devourer's trail again," Sage said, his eyes narrowing.  

      A roaring sound to their left turned all heads in that direction.  A huge ball of flame appeared down the other hallway, heading straight for them.  "Looks like that decision's just been made for us," Kento said, hastily herding the others to the right.  "Go!  _Go!_"  No one argued.  They ran for their lives down the corridor, the fireball in leisurely pursuit.

      "I can't see it anymore.  Did we lose it?" Cye gasped after a while.

      "I wouldn't bet on it," Sage replied grimly.  "Keep going!  There has to be a turnoff somewhere!"

      A stone wall suddenly shot up in front of them as if spring-loaded, cutting off their escape so suddenly that Sage and Cye skidded into it.  "It's a dead end!" Carey cried.  

      "Not for long," Kento growled, pushing his way forward.  He drew back an armored fist and drove it full force into the rock.  

      "Punching through it will take too long," Rowen said.  "Use your elemental power on it, Kento…and for God's sake, hurry!" he added as the fireball appeared around the bend.  It paused for a moment, then rolled slowly toward the trapped warriors.

      Kento pressed his hands against the stone, glaring fiercely at it in concentration.  Slowly, the rock began to melt away from his touch.  "Damn, it's resisting me!  This is gonna take a while," he warned.  "You've got to slow that thing down!"

      "No problem," Rowen asserted.  "It's just like blowing out a really big candle."  He stepped forward and raised his hands.  The air began to stir, then a wild gust swirled toward the conflagration, wrapping around it.  The fireball flickered and shrank a bit…then greedily gulped the air and burst back larger than before.  "Okay, that didn't work," Rowen said in chagrin.

      "Then I guess it's my turn," Cye said.  

      "But there's no water around!" Carey reminded him.

      "Oh, yes, there is," Cye replied.  He could feel it everywhere around him: in the stone, in the air, in the ground below them, even in his friends.  Attuning himself to the element of water, he called to it, mentally pictured it coming together in one huge mass aimed at the threat.  The result was a truly magnificent wall of water that descended out of nowhere to drench the fireball, dousing it and leaving only singed rock to mark its passing.

      Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that got drenched.  "CYE!" came the annoyed chorus behind him.

      Cye turned slowly to face the reproachful glares of his teammates.  Carey was wringing out her long dark tresses, water dripped from Kento's armor, and a lock of Rowen's blue hair straggled limply across the bridge of his nose.  "Oops.  Sorry," Cye murmured with an embarrassed grin.  "Guess I should have focused that a little better, huh?"

      Sage regarded him in exasperation from beneath a plastered-down fringe of blonde bangs.  "Yeah, a little control might have been nice," he said dryly.  "You could have just thrown a Wave Smasher at it, you know."

      "Too easy," Cye replied.  "Besides, you guys all got to try out your elemental powers --- I figured it was my turn.  And you have to admit, that _was_ rather spectacular.  Kind of artistic, even."

      Kento shot him a dirty look.  "Remind me to appreciate your artistry _after_ I dry out," he grumbled.  "Now if you're done, I still need to get us through this wall."  He turned to the wall again, but before he could touch it the stone crumbled away to dust, revealing the empty corridor behind it and leaving the warriors staring in openmouthed astonishment.  "Son of a…Do you guys get the feeling the Devourer's deliberately messing with our heads?" Kento demanded irritably.

      "What was your first clue?" Carey muttered.  "Sage, remember when I said I didn't want to take up a weapon and go after this thing?  I changed my mind."  Sage's answer was a grim smile, and they started off again…drawing ever closer to their foe.

       _If the Devourer could have chortled, it would have.  Oh, but this was fun.  The demon had played its games with many hapless souls in its time, but none had ever afforded it as much pleasure as these five did.  Such purpose, such determination and strength of will.  It was really tempted to prolong the game, to let them wander among its traps until it grew tired of playing.  And the best was yet to come… _

_      Still, the Devourer was hungry.  "Do you see that, Ryo of Wildfire?" it asked its captive silkily.  "Do you see their suffering, their frustration?  All because of you.  What do you think of that, leader of the Ronin Warriors?"  Ryo didn't answer, but his despair was enough to sate the demon's hunger…for now.  The real feast would appear soon enough._

_      And a feast was always better with a little anticipation.      _

      "Guys…I know nobody really wants to think about this, not even me, but…well…what if Ryo's not okay when we find him?" Kento asked hesitantly.  "I mean, the Devourer's drawing power from the people of the city now, which means it might not need Ryo anymore.  What if it's drained all it can from him?  What if we're too late, and this is all for nothing?"

      "Do you really think it is?" Cye retorted, leveling a steady gaze on his friend.  "Are you saying we should just give up now?"

      "No, man, you know I don't mean that!" Kento scrambled to defend himself.  "But this thing's been draining Ryo's energy for weeks now.  How much of that drain do you think Ryo can take?  I mean, why would the demon have to find a new power source if the old one still worked?  Look, I want to believe that Ryo's okay, and we'll be able to free him and everything will work out just fine.  But we have to think about what we're gonna do if he's…not okay," he finished unhappily.

      "Actually, something tells me Ryo's still hanging on," Rowen mused.  "And, you know…I can't help but wonder if we're giving this demon too much credit." 

      All eyes turned to Rowen.  "What do you mean?" Cye asked.

      "Well, think about it.  We've seen a man killed in an incredibly obvious way.  We've seen a storm that has every meteorologist in the city scratching his head.  We've seen the people around us acting like zombies.  We've seen demon hordes and exploding carvings and falling columns and enormous fireballs.  But what's the one thing we _haven't_ seen?" Rowen asked.  

      "The one thing we came here to find," Sage answered.  "Where's the Devourer?" 

      "Exactly.  We've seen its goons and its tricks, but the Great and Powerful itself is a no-show.  Remember when we first tangled with the Devourer, how it would attack us on our own turf?  It even went to Sendai to face you, Sage.  Now it's taken over the city, and it's supposedly drawing all this energy…and all of a sudden it doesn't want to leave its hiding place.  Anybody want to take a wild guess as to why?"

      "Well, we already know it's toying with us," Cye said.  "I mean, this demon likes the thrill of the chase."

      "Yeah, but I don't think that's all of it," Rowen replied.  "The Devourer wants us pretty badly, right?  So if it's so powerful, why doesn't it just grab us?  I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe… it _can't_."

      "Are you saying this thing's actually getting _weaker_?" Carey queried, shaking her head.  "Rowen, that doesn't make sense.  I mean, it's controlling the greater part of metropolitan Tokyo.  You'd think that would give it all the power it could possibly want."

      "You'd think," Rowen agreed.  "But I asked Kayura about that once, why it didn't just grab someone in the city.  She told me that the Devourer feeds on bright, strong souls and that there wasn't really anyone in the city who could give it what it needed besides us.  Seems to me this thing's spreading itself awfully thin for such meager pickings, and I have a feeling it's losing more energy than it's taking in.  Remember the timeline of the attacks --- it hit me and Kento one after the other, but then there was a lull between each of the other sightings.  We thought that that was to set us on edge, to get us looking over our shoulders.  But what if it wasn't?  What if it waited not to increase the suspense, but because it had to recharge?  And the more I think about it, I realize that Kento never actually _saw_ Ryo, just heard his voice...probably because it was easier for the demon to throw its voice than to actually manifest."

      "So you think that this whole show of force is actually just a bluff?" Kento asked.

      "Why not?  It's kind of like playing poker --- you psych out your opponent by pretending you have a better hand than you actually do," Rowen said.  "I think the demon overestimated how much power it could draw and how many people it could control.  This monster was imprisoned centuries ago.  It's probably used to rural villages where it would be dealing with a small, tightly-knit group of people.  But this is a huge metropolitan area with a lot of people, many of whom don't even know each other, and that would kind of throw a wrench into the Devourer's usual plan of attack.  My guess is that our friend is getting desperate.  It probably had to use a lot of energy to zap itself to Mexico in order to lure and kill Matt Sano, and a lot more to try and nab Sage the other night.  Problem is, it doesn't have a bottomless supply of fuel anymore.  Ryo is either weakening or fighting.  It's lost its hold on us.  That's why it needs to stay close to home, because the shrine by its nature gives the Devourer some amount of strength, just not enough to let the demon face us head on.  It had to do something to lure us onto its turf so it could get its claws into our own power, and it figured a show of might would bring us running --- which it did," he added wryly.  "It's taking a gamble, using its remaining power to bait us."

      "Okay, so if that's true, how do we defeat it?" Sage wondered.

      Rowen shook his head.  "I'm not sure yet.  I keep thinking that something Kayura said was important, but I can't remember exactly what.  Of course it's all kind of academic right now, since we don't even know exactly where the Devourer is in this maze.  You'd think if it wanted us so badly it would at least give us directions…a signpost or something would be nice," he said wryly.

      They emerged into a large room and looked about them in dismay.  Six other hallways radiated from the main chamber, all of them equally dark and impenetrable.  "Oh-_kay_," Rowen sighed.  "Now a signpost would _really _be good."

      "Great," Carey scoffed.  "The old 'multiple hallways' trick.  You know, Rowen, I think you're right; the Devourer really is running out of ideas.  I mean, this is so _done_ already."

      "We're wasting time," Kento said impatiently.  "Sage, Carey, you two can sense this thing.  Where the hell is it?"

      Carey frowned.  "That's weird.  I don't hear anything."  
      "Me either," Sage agreed.  "It's as if I'm being blocked somehow.  Well, that must mean we're on the right track, at least." 

      A sudden scuffle behind them caught their attention, followed by Cye's shout of triumph.  Startled, the Ronins turned to see Cye holding something at spearpoint.  "Look what I found following us," he said.  Pressed against the wall was a misshapen, child-sized demon, its throat caught in the claws of Cye's trident.  

      Kento smiled and smacked a fist into his palm.  "All right!  I've been waiting for a good crack at one of these things," he crowed.  "I'll teach it not to sneak up on us."

      "First things first," Cye replied.  "Where's the Devourer?" he demanded of their captive.  The demon glared balefully but remained mute, and Cye pressed his trident harder against its throat.  "Don't make me have to use this on you," he warned.  "You have five seconds to start talking."

      "Cye, that's not gonna work," Kento complained.  "These things don't respect diplomacy.  Just give me thirty seconds with it and I'll have it singing like a canary."

      Carey shook her head in annoyance.  "Can you think with something besides your fists for a change?"

      "Oh, that's real funny coming from you, Miss Switchblade," Kento retorted.  "And I suppose you have something better in mind?" 

     "As a matter of fact, I do," Carey replied calmly, placing a hand on Cye's arm.  "May I?"  At Sage's small nod, Cye inclined his head graciously and stepped aside.  Carey smiled winningly at their captive --- feminine wiles had to be good for something.  "Look, we don't have anything against you," she told it, shooting a quick glare over her shoulder at a snort from Kento.  "We're here for the Devourer.  All we want from you are answers." 

      The demon looked her up and down, sneering as it rubbed its neck.  "Human scum.  Why should I tell you anything?"

      "Because I asked you nicely," was Carey's patient answer.  "I can be a lot less nice, trust me."

      The monster moved its right hand surreptitiously, but before it could complete the gesture Carey did a lightning-fast quarter-turn and planted one booted foot squarely against its neck.  "Okay, now here's why that would _not _be a good idea," she warned.  "You see that guy behind me, the cute blonde one with the really big sword?  He's my honey, which means that if you so much as raise a claw wrong against me, he'll turn you into demon sushi before either of us can blink.  Am I making myself clear?"  The demon made a strangling noise as her heel pressed against its windpipe.  "Good.  Now where's the Devourer?" Carey demanded.      

      "You aren't worthy to see my master," the beast grated.

      "Yeah, well, considering that your 'master' went to a hell of a lot of trouble to bring us here, I'd say that proves our worthiness," Rowen commented dryly.  "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the Devourer wants to see us even more than we want to see him.  Now you heard the lady.  Start talking."

      The demon glowered at the Ronins.  "Worthless mortals.  You're nothing but fodder.  My master will destroy you all!"

      "Yadda yadda, blah blah blah," Carey cut in impatiently.  "Look, _amigo_, if you're trying to wear me out here, don't even bother.  I could always hold a extension longer than anyone else in the class.  And the longer you stall, the more you tick us off.  Trust me when I say that that is not a good thing."  She dug her foot into her captive's throat to make her point, smiling coldly as the demon gagged.  "We're going to find your master eventually, so why not make this easy for all of us, hmmm?  _Where's the Devourer?_"

      The demon flinched at the knife-sharp tone.  "In the Throne Chamber," it choked.

      "And that would be where exactly?" Carey pressed.

      "I…can't…_breathe_," her captive protested.

      "You're dead or something.  You're not supposed to breathe," Carey retorted.  "Where's the Throne Chamber?"  The demon didn't answer, and Carey sighed.  "Kento?" 

      Kento grinned viciously as he moved to stand next to Carey, and the demon's eyes grew wide at the sight of the burly man in deadly-looking armor, idly flexing huge hands as if he already had the monster's throat between them.  "B-beneath the Inner Sh-shrine," it stammered.  "Down --- down the center hall."

      "Thank you," Carey replied sweetly.  "Now was that so hard?"  She swung her leg down and stepped back.  "Okay, Kento, he's all yours."

      Sage chuckled.  "Nice job."

      Carey shrugged.  "I always wanted to do that," she said innocently.

      "Wait!" the demon shrieked, flattening itself against the wall as Kento loomed over it.  "I told you what you wanted to know!"

      "So you did," Sage agreed.  "Unfortunately for you, you also stalked us, threatened my fiancée, kept us waiting when we're really in kind of a hurry, and called us scum --- among other charming sobriquets.  Not to mention the fact that your buddies have made life miserable for us ever since we got here.  And besides, Kento's really been looking forward to beating on one of you…I don't think it would be fair to disappoint him now, do you?"

      The beast drew itself up as much as it could, trying to look imposing.  It failed miserably.  "Harm me at your peril, humans," it warned.  "You're dealing with forces your simple minds can't comprehend, forces that can crack your mortal world like an eggshell and cast you screaming into the abyss."

      Cye rolled his eyes.  "Who writes his dialogue?" he whispered to Rowen.

      "Heed my warning," the demon continued.  "None of you will leave this place alive!  You will suffer untold agonies at my master's hands until you beg for death!  You will --- "

      "Yeah, yeah," Kento cut it off, flicking out the naginata blade on the end of his bo and slicing the creature in half.  The demon screeched and dissolved into a gray mush that trailed sluggishly down the wall.  "I hate drama queens," Kento said.  

      A dull moan began in the distance and a sudden breeze swirled around the warriors.  "Oh, great, what _now_?" Cye demanded.  "Rowen, what are you doing?"

      "It's not me!" Rowen protested over the rising wind.  "It must have started when Kento killed that demon!"  He raised his hands and closed his eyes briefly in intense concentration.  "I can't stop it!"

      "Wonderful.  Why can't demonbusting ever be easy?" Sage muttered in exasperation.  He staggered as a huge gust of wind drove him back a step.  "Well, I think it's safe to say we really ticked someone off."  He caught Carey's hand, pulling her protectively close as the wind became a raging cyclone.  "We've got to get out of this room!" he yelled.

      "Easier said than done!" Cye yelled back.  "I can't move --- this wind's too strong!"  The warriors struggled to hold their ground, looking for a chance to break free…but their enemy had other plans.      

      It screamed without warning out of the center hall, a choking, sandstorm-like cloud blacker than the very depths of hell.  The dark maelstrom surrounded the Ronin Warriors, yanking them off their feet and tossing them about like rag dolls in a clothes dryer.  Sage felt dizzy and sick and he couldn't see a thing; he could only hear the keening of the wind and the shouts of his teammates as he fought to keep his grip on Carey.  But it was no use.  A vicious jolt ripped Carey's hand from his, and the last thing he heard was her terrified scream as the black storm enveloped him.

      Then there was only darkness and silence. 

************************************************************************************************************

_Abuela:_ (Spanish) "grandmother"

_Zakennayo:_ (Japanese) "f*** you".

_Stravinsky:_ Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971), Russian composer and contemporary of choreographer George Balanchine.  His works tend to be radically different from what most would consider "classical" music, incorporating jazz rhythms, neoclassicism, and atonality.  _Agon_ (1957) was choreographed by George Balanchine, _Petrushka_ (1911) by Michel Fokine.  Other famous ballet scores by Stravinsky include _The Rite of Spring_ (1913) and _Firebird_ (1910).

**A.N.**  Wow, where has the time gone?  Four months between updates --- that must be some kind of record.  Anyway, no excuses this time, just an abject apology for taking so long to update, and a heartfelt "thank-you" to those of you still reading this story.


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